Running Interference
by Nerubian Assassin
Summary: Hisao somehow stumbles across another aloof purple-eyed girl. But how will she affect his feelings for Hanako? My take on a Yozora pseudo-route of sorts.. Geared mostly towards KS, but feel free to dive in, Haganai readers! Discontinued due to fatigue/lack of ideas.
1. Mistaken Identity

**This one-shot was supposed to take about 10 minutes, took me about two days somehow. Still reads like a 10 minute one-shot though. Occurs sometime during Hanako's route.**

The sun beats down mercilessly as I trudge through the city's shopping district. Damn, I shouldn't have put off my shopping until the hottest day of the week. Stupid heat waves. The heat continues to assault me as I wander, with only the brief incursions into a store as my reprieves. After an hour, I'm still empty handed, so I head into a local Starbucks to grab a frappucino and decide if I really need anything at all.

Walking inside, I'm greeted by a chilling wave of air conditioned air. Sweet relief. As I take my place in the long queue, I start to idly examine the people in the room. The store is pretty crowded, probably due to how bad it is outside, so there's a lot to take in. There's an annoying crying toddler with a desperate mom trying to calm him down, a businessman sipping his coffee while talking on his phone...the list goes on and on. Moving up with the line, my eyes stop when I see the final corner of the store. A girl (or at least I think it's one) with long flowing black hair is hunched over the table, facing towards the wall. She has this cute little black cap on her head, and it looks like she just had some shopping done, judging by the bags next to her. I can't really see her though, since she's wearing a denim jacket and pants, even in this weather. Damn, she must be burning right now.

I finally reach the counter, which puts an end to my observations. Ordering a caramel frappuccino, I pay for it, then head towards the pickup counter. Looking around again, I find myself somehow attracted back to that girl in the corner, but from where I stand now, I can see what's on her table. Squinting a bit, it appears to be a pink cell phone with one of those flower clips attached...for some reason it looks familiar. Have I seen a phone like that before? But before I can think on that question, the server announces that she has a caramel frappuccino. Taking it from her, I take a table near the counter and start to sip my drink.

Pink cell phone, flower clip, black hat...Come on Hisao, I know you've can connect the dots. I urge my brain to work harder, because for some reason, the mystery girl makes me think that I've seen her before, even if I haven't seen her face yet. Jeez, I sound like a stalker now, but I can't help this feeling. She reminds me of Hanako, she would hide in a corner like this in public...

Hanako! Wow, how could I have been so dense? Gah, I'm stupid. She did mention something about doing some shopping in the city yesterday at the tea room, but my backlog of homework was growing, so I couldn't offer to go with her. At least until I found out that I'm running dangerously low on food, toiletries, and suitable clothes for the summer. Damnit.

As I continue drinking my frap, I keep sparing glances over at the mystery girl, following all the things hunters do in documentaries. No wind to take my scent, lots of cover in case something goes wrong. The chances that the girl ISN'T Hanako is low...er than I expect given the amount of evidence, unless lady luck decides to screw me over, again.

I stand up and make my way over to the girl. With a loud 'Ahem', I make myself known.

"Hello, Hanako." It's a simple greeting, but it should be enough.

The girl turns around, hair whipping as she does so. But as I see her face, I internally reel. There's no scars at all on this girl! Damn it, what the hell? She has an angry expression on her face, probably because of the whole mistaken identity bit.

"Whoever this Hanako is, I'm not her." The girl spits out as she gets off her chair and moves toward me. I can't help but make an awkward expression at this, but the whole situation is well, awkward. But then I notice something else about this girl, she has bright purple irises, just a shade brighter than Hanako's eyes. It's almost like looking into an alternate reality where Hanako didn't get burned, which would be a great reality because this girl is really attractive. I back away a bit, in part because of her likeness to Hanako as well as the aura of hostility this girl is emitting right now.

"Oh, well sorry I thought you were...someone I knew for a moment." I turn to bolt out of the store, but a hand clamps my shoulder.

"You're not going anywhere, friend. Why don't you sit down so we can...talk." She deliberately emphasizes that last word, before spinning me around and pushing me down on the other seat on the table. Taking her own seat, she takes a sip of her drink on the table, before starting to talk.

"So what made you think I was one of your little friends? Because I was in the corner?" She says with a glare, I guess she must be really peeved.

Right now, my mind is screaming at me to run for it, but I'm literally in the corner. She could easily stop me from running. Sadly enough, I've learned a lesson like this many times attempting to evade Shizune and Misha. For now though, I guess I can humor her. After all, she is a stranger, if not sounding slightly insane.

"Well, er..." I'm not sure exactly how to phrase this without sounding insulting, but I plow on anyways. "You were wearing similar clothes to my friend and I saw that you had the same exact phone, right down to the flower clip, on the table. But what 'tipped' me off was the whole hiding in the corner bit. That's something Hanako would do." I keep my explanation clear and concise. But then my brain filter shuts down. "And your hair's similar as well. It does look great on you though." Wut.

With that last comment, the stranger blushes and looks away. Obviously she wasn't expecting that, so I use this moment of weakness to get a question in.

"Why are you so mad about this anyways? It's a simple case of mistaken identity." I blurt out. I am genuinely concerned about why this is riling her up so. But then again, it could be for a lot of the wrong reasons. She looks straight at me again, this time without any hostility though.

"Well, I am me. And I don't like being similar to anyone, even if it comes at the cost of being...alone.." She drops off her sentence into a whisper that I can barely hear through the din of the crowd, looking sad now. This is getting odder and odder by the second, but thanks to all the emotional stuff I have to deal with Hanako, I feel compelled to help this girl. Her downcast look is a mirror image of Hanako's. I've had to deal with her look so many times throughout our friendship that it's been ingrained into my mind.

"Ohh, umm sorry to hear that." I mutter. There isn't really an ideal response to something like that. I think I'll try to cheer her up a bit though.

"Y'know, I never got your name. I'm Hisao." I say my name first, offering to reach out to her. Her sad face is replaced with an expression that could best be described as 'stunned'. Maybe she expected me to run away?

"Yozora. That's all you need to know for now." She responds back sternly. Finally, something that her and Hanako doesn't share. If her name was Hanako as well, I might've started buying my whole alternate reality theory.

"This Hanako, does she have many friends?" Yozora asks. It's a simple question she's asking, but I see the perception behind it. This girl, Yozora, is a loner, for lack of a better term. Her actions certainly seem to indicate so, and since I mistook Yozora for Hanako, she probably put two and two together. As for confirming her thoughts, I don't see much harm in doing so.

"Let's just say about as much as you, given the circumstances. I'm one of them. She is a bit, er, shy though." Unfortunately, Hanako's shyness and tendencies to flee in normal social conduct is why her friend count is so low to begin with, although her scars are to blame for everything. This girl on the other hand, certainly doesn't look like a girl who'd be lacking for friends, although maybe her first impressions aren't the best. But I'm not going to drop the whole scar thing. If something happens out of this, I'll save that bombshell for later. Meanwhile, I might as well test my theory.

"If you don't mind me asking such a question, how many friends do you have?" I ask. For all I know, she could be some popular chick who has a habit of hunching up in coffee ships. Unfortunately, I think she took it the wrong way, as she takes on a dangerous look.

"Suffice it to say it's not a lot as well. You're very nosy, aren't you? You remind me of Meat. Poking around in other people's business" Her response is as rapid as Emi's sprint, damn. Did I just hear her say Meat though? I overlook that and shoot back.

"Well, you asked me the same question before, and since you forced me here, I think I can assume that you want to talk. I'm simply making conversation." With a deadpan stare, I look to see what Yozora's next response will be. Like before, I don't have to wait long.

"Feh, totally different things. I'm asking about someone I don't even know. You, however, are asking a personal question about me. I'm surprised you're still here though, I'd have expected you to run away. Japan is a free country after all."

Well, she got the run away part right, and her logic about the questions has some soundness to it. Great, now I'm dealing with a Hanako look-a-like with the wits of a Shizune. If there is a higher being up there, he's being exceptionally cruel right now. But despite the part of my brain still yelling at me to run for the hills, I stay glued to my seat. Might as well go for broke at this point. If I lose, I don't lose anything, so why the hell not?

"Japan is a free country, true, so I'm deciding to stay here and talk to you. You remind me of a few people I know, well at least after you made me sit and talk. This may sound a bit forward, Yozora, but even with the few words we've exchanged, you're really interesting."

There, the deed is done. Even with all the questions unanswered, like her real motive for making me stay, I can't help but stay and try to get to know Yozora better. Yozora gapes at me with an open mouth, forgetting the drink she was going to sip from. I'm not sure whether this is a good or bad thing, but I'm about to find out.

"Ah, I see. It looks like I was right in making you stay...Hisao, right?." Yozora gives me a small smile, none of the initial anger obvious anymore. "You certainly like being the white knight."

Huh? Looking back at the conversation, I don't see how...ohhh. Damn it would make sense for her to accuse me of being a white knight even with the little amount of words and actions we've exchanged. And she already knows this is a double-or-nothing situation. Yep, definitely some Shizune in her.

"If you can call approaching some who you thought you knew an act of a white knight, sure that could work," I move to get up, this is my all-or-nothing moment. Let's see if she takes the bait. I take a look at my watch, and take a dramatic sigh as I throw away the rest of my frappucino. "Well it's been lovely talking to you, Yozora, but I have to get moving. I gotta finish my shopping soon."

I spare a glance at her, and she's just sitting on the table still, chugging down the rest of her drink. I guess this is a loss than. But right when I get outside, I get forcefully spun around again to an angry Yozora (again).

"Hrrmmph. White knight my ass. Here I was thinking that you were a nice guy, but it seems I was mistaken. Idiot."

With that statement, she stalks off in the opposite direction, bags in tow and long black hair rippling in the wind. As I watch her leave, a pang of guilt hits me, and I find myself subconsciously running after her, even though my heart is still weak. After a short chase, I finally get close enough to to tap her on the shoulder before taking the opportunity to lean against a nearby wall and check my heartbeat. Looking up, I see the traces of a victorious grin, before her slightly mad expression takes over again. Must be her normal look.

"Oh, so you are a white knight after all? I was going to give you my number, but if you want it now, you'll have to beg for it. Show me how much you want to save me!" Yozora says with a smirk.

Ah, damn. It looks like I've lost this battle. Now she's just rubbing it in my face. But at least it means that Yozora has some type of interest in me.

"Ok, ok I get it. Don't you think the begging bit is a bit much, though?" I ask with a smile.

"Yeah, you're right. It's just something I do to Meat to piss her off. But you're different, and by that I mean I don't know you much, but it looks like you won't run away even if you wanted to, Hisao." She gives me a smile of her own, before digging out her phone from her purse. Taking her cue, I fumble around my pockets until I find my own phone. While we're exchanging numbers, Yozora asks yet another question.

"So Hisao, which school do you go to? You hardly look like you have a job."

Well, at least it's an innocent one.

"Yamaku Academy. It's a school for the-"

"Disabled, yes I know. Back at St. Chronica's Academy, the rabble there love to talk smack about other schools." Yozora interrupts, grimacing when she mentions the rabble. "Anyways, I have to head home too. Nice meeting you, Hisao. Message me sometime this week, ok?" She picks up her bags, ready to move out.

"Yeah, I'll message you...Yozora. Goodbye." I utter out. With those words and a wave, I turn towards the path that would take me to the bus station, but not before stealing one more glance at the person who in the course of about 20 minutes, managed to make me chase her. Either she's a really good manipulator, or maybe I do put others, even strangers, ahead of my own needs. Shaking my head, I continue walking towards the bus stop.

Later on at the bus ride back to Yamaku, I can't help but think that what I just had a surreal experience. If it weren't for the fact that I had Yozora's number as proof of our encounter, I'd swear that this was something out of an eroge where I somehow meet the girl I'll love in a random spot. The only problem is, I thought I might have been falling for Hanako. Now everything's all messed up, and I can't make head or tails of my emotions, kinda like someone's running interference with my mind.


	2. Movie Night

**AN: Well, upgraded this from one-shot to series. Read and Review, thanks. Oh, and I put lots of video game references in this one. R&R !**

The blaring noise of my alarm clock wakes me up. Yawning, I stretch and pull away the curtains, letting in the sun. After showering and changing, I make my way to the school building. I kinda feel bad for not going with Hanako yesterday. I already ended up going to the city anyways, so Hanako would've been at least made for some decent companionship. I should try to make up for that.****

As I enter the classroom, I see the usual scattered arrangement of students laying about, greeting me with a nod or wave. One of those students is Hanako, so I drop my stuff at my desk before walking over to her.

"Hey Hanako, how'd your day go yesterday?"

"It was a-alright. Did you get your homework finished?"

Ah, that homework. Stayed up 'til about midnight doing that crap. And I still forgot to buy my stuff thanks to Yozora. Now I have to go back to the city soon before I run out of soap.

"Yeah, I did. Stayed up 'til midnight doing it, but it was worth it." I gesture towards the stack of papers on my desk. "Do you have any plans after school?"

"Umm no. Why?"

It's kind of obvious why I'd ask you if you had anything to do, Hanako. But I repress that remark so I can move forward with my hastily constructed plan.

"Well there's this new movie down at the town's cinema, Left 4 the Half-Fortress, and it looks really good, at least from the trailer. Would you er... want to see it with me?" I lower my voice a bit while I'm asking this, no need for the gossip mill to get ahold of this.

"S-sure. I've seen the trailer too. Are you going to ask Lilly to come too?"

Wait what? She's blind, why would she have need to go to a damn movie theater to watch something she can't...watch? Well, maybe Hanako's accustomed to doing things with all three of us now?

"Last time I checked, they haven't found a way to convert movies into a form that blind people can understand." I say with a chuckle. "But if you really want her to come with us too..."

"No it's fine Hisao. S-she has class representative duties to handle after school anyways."

Inside my mind, I'm jumping with joy. Finally, I can get some good alone time with Hanako. Not that there's anything wrong with Lilly, but still. The arrival of Mutou interrupts our conversation, so I head back to my seat and get ready for the next few hours.

Nothing eventful happens after that. No other random interruptions, the usual small talk with Lilly and Hanako at our tea room during lunch, and the usual feminist rant Kenji goes off into while he's blocking me from entering my dorm to change for my movie night with Hanako. At least I managed to set up a rendezvous point with Hanako before leaving for my room. When I finally get inside my room, I notice my phone lying on my desk. Huh, I guess I forgot to bring it with me today. Picking it up, I idly go through my small contacts list until I end up selecting Yozora. Maybe I should text her?

Pondering that question, I get changed into some respectable clothes for a night out: Denim pants and a blue T-Shirt with a graphic of a lion on a shield with some English lettering that seems to translate into "The Alliance". My parents sent it to me with one of their care packages, so I might as well eke some use out of it. After combing my hair into a somewhat representable shape, I leave my dorm room, confident about the night ahead. It is a school night, but it's not like we're going to be drinking or anything like that.

As I'm walking, I realize I haven't decided whether to text Yozora or night. I guess I shouldn't, it is pretty rude to be on your phone half the time when you're with someone, especially so when you have a thing for said person and you don't want to seem like a dolt. With that in mind, I take a seat in one of the benches near the school's gate, and wait for Hanako.

Five minutes later, Hanako greets me. But as she drew close to me, I notice that she's wearing nearly the exact outfit that Yozora was wearing yesterday, with only a different shirt and shoes to differentiate Hanako from her. A very unusual coincidence.

We start walking down the road to town, when Hanako says something.

"Hisao, what's the actual plot of the movie? I did say I s-saw the trailer, but it just seemed to be lots and lots of action shots." Hanako asks.

"It's about these 9 guys who kill near facsimiles of each other everyday for no reason...who er..." It's a bit tough extracting the plot from said trailer. "Oh yeah, who somehow get sucked into a zombie-infested United States, who team up with four survivors...than..." Damn, maybe next time I should judge a trailer on what the actual plot will be instead of all the action shots.

"Ok, I lost track after that, hehe." I nervously finish. Damn Americans and their ability to sell a movie based on explosions.

To my surprise, Hanako has a small giggle at that remark. I guess it is funny that we're going to watch a movie based on explosions. Not that it's a bad thing anyways.

"Don't worry, Hisao, I like action movies. They're fun to watch."

A girl liking action movies? Wut. Isn't there a stereotype about chicks only liking those cheesy romantic movies like The Notebook?

"I always thought girls only liked those cheesy emotional movies. You don't seem like someone to appreciate action movies." I inquire. Hanako looks a bit shocked at this, as if I were saying it was a bad thing.

"W-well, I just don't like those kind of movies, especially the..." Hanako trails off, leaving the final part of her sentence unspoken. It seem like a touchy subject for her somehow, so I drop it and move to safer waters.

After about ten minutes, we finally arrive at the theater. Hanako and I pay for our tickets, and we take our seats right in the middle of the cinema after buying some popcorn and soda. Some trailers go on, mostly about Western movies that's finally been dubbed or at least subbed for us Japanese viewers. It's a shame that most of the good movies come out in America, because I'm really bad at learning English. There's a reason why I got that 43 on the test.

As the movie finally starts, I notice that Hanako's been drifting slightly closer to me from her seat, although it could just be me wishing that she actually was moving closer. As the movie goes on, I find that Left 4 the Half-Fortress has an insanely deep plot that manages to incorporate elements of comedy and horror into it. Those 9 men from Teufort sure do have a lot of funny mannerisms.

Halfway through the movie, with the serious part of the story unfolding, Spy, Nick, and Gordon Freeman find themselves wandering the basement of an abandoned mansion in search of Australium. But as the creepy music starts to wind up and the trio find themselves moving deeper into the basement, a cry emanates from the area in front of them. I lean back a bit, unsure of what the sound it is, but at least I know that it isn't anything good. Than I grab some popcorn.

Hanako doesn't seem to be taking this portion of the movie as well as I am though. I felt her flinch when that Charger came out of nowhere and beat the life out of Scout. While he'd end up respawning anyways, it doesn't change the fact that it was scary as hell.

A few minutes later, the heroes find themselves in front of a set of wooden double doors. Freeman, being the toughest of the group, takes point and opens the door. Looking around, the camera shows a relatively small room that looks like it's been used for storage. Oddly enough, there appears to be arrows that lead directly to the 'Objective', or at least that's what the subs say it means anyways. Then the same crying that the audience heard earlier starts again, except this time it's continuous. It gets louder as they follow the arrows, eventually leading to a chest against the wall with the label "Australium" on the wall. But there appears to be a woman slumped over and crying next to the chest. Spy, being the gentleman that he is, starts to approach her slowly, but then the music stops, and her crying is replaced with growling. Normally that would be a sign to back away, but Spy keeps going forward. Eventually, he gets close enough to touch her shoulder, and suddenly the woman turns around, eyes red with fury, and slashes Spy in the face with her suddenly razor-like claws.

This sudden turn of events frightens even me, so I instinctually put my arm over Hanako and pull her closer to me. Then I realize what I just did. I look down to Hanako, who's looking at me with surprise, although with a small smile on her face.

"Y-you didn't get scared there, did you Hisao?" Hanako asks as she leans on me.

"No, I totally meant to do that." It's best to pass it off as a fluke for now. No point in Hanako questioning my manliness, or lack thereof, right now.

As the movie nears its climax with a full scale assault against the Announcer and her company full of lackies, I start to think of whether I should try to make a move. But then the rational side of my brain kicks in, claiming that I have no idea how Hanako feels about me. That, and it would feel really cliched to do so. As I continue to produce excuse after excuse, an image of Yozora flashes into my mind. It was for the briefest of flickers, but for some odd reason, it makes me resolute in not doing anything.

Hanako doesn't notice my inner dilemma, too embroiled in the movie and in snuggling against me. She looks almost serene right now, with the darkness to cover her scars and someone to watch a movie with. It's like she's being a normal person for a few hours.

The rest of the movie passes by uneventfully, the protagonists triumphant, only to see a spaceship come into view in the sky. Then, credits. Like it's not obvious there's going to be a sequel. I carefully extricate my arm from around Hanako, who gasps in surprise as I pull away. We take our leave of the cinema, and start the trek back to Yamaku.

Hanako and I stay silent for the entirety of the trip, neither of us having much to say. We've been spending most of our time together with Lilly, so there's nothing that neither of us have already discussed. When we finally get to our dorms, I turn to Hanako.

"So, err, goodnight than, Hanako." I lamely say. I really ought to be smoother about these farewells.

But then Hanako does something strangely uncharacteristic for her, she opens her arms wide and embraces me in a hug. It's a bit on the light side, as if she's treating me as a fragile object. Looking up to me, she has the same smile I noticed back in the theater.

"Goodnight, Hisao." She whispers before pulling away from me and walking towards her dorm.

That moment left me dazed for far longer than it should have. I didn't even notice I made my way up to my room until my head met my pillow. Then I remember that I should probably change into my pajamas before sleeping. Luckily, I have no near-due homework, so I can get a good night's sleep for once.

As I empty my pocket of junk, I pull out my phone and select Yozora again. I'm tempted to message her about how she infiltrated my thoughts in the theater. It was odd using her as an excuse to not be more forward with Hanako. She's just someone I randomly met, not my girlfriend or other significant person. I still want to text her, but I should probably wait a bit longer before I do so. Putting the phone back on the desk before I change my mind, I finish changing and jump into bed.

I guess I can text her tomorrow. That should be enough time to make it look like I'm not desperate for a girl or anything like that. Come to think of it, I never really had much use for my phone to begin with. Never had much reason to contact anyone with it. And judging from what Yozora said about being alone yesterday, she probably doesn't have anyone to talk to as well. At least this way, we won't be wasting our parents' money with the phone bill.

Ah, screw it, I might as well confront this now. I know I want to 'talk' to Yozora, not out of practicality, but because of...I'm not sure, maybe something about that alone remark she made?  
>It would be a good way to delve into the matter of things, I guess. That, and she is someone from outside my little social circle. As much as I like Hanako and Lilly, I'm not going to hold myself back socially on their behalf. Lilly already has an army of other friends and admirers, so it wouldn't hurt for me to talk to Yozora and see where this goes.<p>

Satisfied with my rationality of the situation, I drift off into sleep..


	3. A Time For Pools

**AN: I got nothing. Just R&R please.**

"Nakai. Nakai!" Mutou's voice rouses me from the nap I was taking in class. Caught red-handed.

"Class is over, the bell rang over 30 minutes ago." Mutou says in that monotone drawl of his. He gestures out to the empty classroom.

"What?" I scramble to put my things in my bag and after a hasty wave, I throw myself out the door only to find...the rest of my class standing in the hallway outside. Misha starts laughing (because I didn't see that coming), and soon the rest of them join in, reveling in my epic fail.

"You might want to consider staying awake for my lectures next time, Nakai, or I might have to come up with an even more embarrassing event for you." My teacher says while watching from his desk. "Alright, let's continue with the lecture, class. Hisao, it's only 9 A.M."

I lift my head up and walk back in standing tall, trying to salvage my dignity in this situation. Many students are still chortling as they head back to their seats, pleased that they managed to one-up one of their fellow classmates.

"Hicchan, it totally wasn't Shizune's idea to have everyone silently leave the classroom than make you think you slept through class today! Wahaha~!" Misha says with her trademark laugh as she takes her seat.

Yeah, thanks a lot, Shizune. Because I definitely needed something like this right now. I attempt to shoot her an angry glare, but she simply smiles at me and looks away, seemingly unfazed. I'll get you back for this somehow.

At lunch, Hanako and I head up to our usual lunch spot at the tea room. It seems Lilly got out of class earlier, as she's already making tea by the time we get there.

"Hello, Hanako, Hisao. How's your day so far?" Lilly inquires as she sets the teapot on the table.

"Ermm, not so well. Shizune managed to pull one over on me." I sullenly respond while taking my usual seat next to the window.

"Hisao was taking a nap in the morning, so Shizune (through Misha) persuaded Mutou to play a prank on him. So we all quietly left the room and Mutou woke Hisao up and made him think school was over." Hanako elaborates.

"Then I ran out of the classroom to see everyone else standing in the hallway. Then, laughter. Ooh, I'm definitely getting back at her for that."

"Well, if you need help in your endeavour, I'd be happy to assist you, Hisao." Lilly says as she takes a sip of tea.

What. Did not expect Lilly to be the type to encourage embarrassing pranks on someone. But then again, it is Shizune, and the whole Lilly vs. Shizune thing isn't exactly private. I think this is something I should do alone though, even though I have no idea what I could do. I'm sure something will come to me eventually.

"So Lilly, how'd your class rep duties go yesterday?" Hanako asks. Huh, I forgot she was busy with that yesterday.

"It was tiresome," Lilly sighs. "Shizune kept us in for longer than we expected, unfortunately. I did hear you two went on a little date though."

"What?" "Huh!" Hanako and I gape first at Lilly in surprise, than at each other. I struggle to control my blushing, to no avail, so I quickly turn away from Hanako before she sees my reddening. Naturally, Lilly chuckles at our response and takes another sip of tea.

"Well there's a rumor going around that you two were on a date. Apparently, Rin Tezuka and Emi Ibarazaki saw you two leave the movies together. I think you two can piece together the rest of the story. "

Damn females and their ability to turn anything into gossip. Here I am, trying to prevent this kind of stuff from reaching the rumor mill, but no! How the hell did those two even recognize us in the dark? Rin is permanently spaced out! She wouldn't be able to tell who's who...

"H-Hisao invited me to go watch Left 4 The Half-Fortress, and I didn't have anything to do that night, so of course I went..." Hanako remarks, still looking down due to her embarrassment.

She didn't deny that we were on a date though. Great, do I say we were on a date or not? If I confirm it, everyone's going to think Hanako and I are boyfriend/girlfriend! And I'd rather not take that risk if it turns out I've been misinterpreting Hanako this whole time. I'll just avoid talking about this for now, that seems to be the safest option until I can confront this appropriately..

"Left 4 The Half-Fortress was a good movie though..." I start to go into a long-winded speech about the characters and the plot, shutting down any chance to switch the subject back. I manage to talk long enough for the bell to ring, signaling me to stop talking and head back to class with Hanako.

When the final bell rings, I wander off to the grounds, in a mood for some thinking time. I purchase a can of melon juice from one of the outdoor vending machines, than take a bench on one of the paths and spread my arms and legs. The summer heat has dropped down to bearable levels, and like yesterday, I have a minimal amount of homework to do.

A thought hits my brain, "Yozora". I forgot I was going to message her today. Without hesitation I pull my phone out of my pocket and send her a text.

"Hello, Yozora."

Just when I put my phone away, my ringtone plays. Looking at the screen, it does indeed say it's from Yozora. It reads:

"Oh, it's you Hisao. I thought you would have forgotten about me by now."

Huh, when my phone has barely any contacts, it's hard not to forget about you. Looking around to make sure no one's behind my back, I reply.

"No, I'm a man of my word. What's up?"

"Nothing of importance, you should have been able to decipher that by now though."

Ok, she got me there. That was just more for confirmation than anything else.

"So do you do anything after school? Go to the arcade or something with a friend or two?"

"Out of the question. Hisao, you know what first impression I make on people. I don't think I could make anyone do anything with me outside of brute force."

So I guess she is a loner of sorts? But it seems more self-imposed than anything else. Sighing, I start my reply.

"That's not true, there's ONE person who wouldn't mind going somewhere with you without being threatened or anything like that." A bit sappy yes, but that should get my point across.

"You're funny, Hisao. If I didn't know any better, I'd be thinking you were talking about yourself. But I do have Tomo-chan."

Tomo-chan? Who's that?

"Who's Tomo-chan?"

For some reason, her response takes longer than usual. Like ten minutes long. I was about to put my phone away when it rang again.

"A friend. Simple as that."

Such a long time for such few words. That's the thing I hate about texting, it's harder to gauge one's intentions with the words they're 'saying'. I should drop that subject for now, no need to get too nosy.

"Oh, ok then. Well if you're interested in..." Hmm, how should I phrase this properly. I want to see Yozora again, but I don't want to seem too forward or awkward. "meeting up somewhere in the area again, I have a free weekend if you want to meet up."

This time, Yozora's reply is as fast as quickfire.

"Taking the initiative for once? You do have balls after all. Anyways, there's this water park close by the city. If you take the bus to the city, we can meet up and I'll lead the way from there. Interested?"

Well this is an interesting proposition. I did hear about an indoor water park somewhere around the city, but I have no idea where it is. Going to one would be amazing in this summer heat right now. That and well...as much as I'm embarrassed to think of it, seeing Yozora in a swimsuit is also a pretty good incentive. She does have a nice body.

"Okay, I'm free on Sunday. Saturday I have a half-day worth of classes unfortunately. Is that alright with you?"

"Yeah, that'll work. Meet me at the same Starbucks we met at 10:00 A.M. sharp. And if you don't show up..." She leaves 3 dots at the end of that threat, probably to make me imagine what she'd do to me. Well, at least my mind doesn't need to concoct such scenarios, since I will definitely be there.

"Alright, thanks for the information." Looking up, I notice that the sky has turned from its bright blue into a darkening red. I should head back to my dorm before curfew. I hastily add "I gotta go, have homework to do. Bye." Satisfied, I place my phone back in my pocket and walk back to my room. That text conversation took up way more time than I expected. At least I made the purpose of the meeting purely platonic for now, I hope i did anyways. Luckily, there's no sign of Kenji when I approach my room, so the night comes and goes quickly.

The same could be said for the rest of the week. I continue my routine of spending most of my non-school time with Hanako and Lilly. But it seems that after our little 'date', Hanako became a little more reluctant of spending time with just me. But surprisingly enough, she rejects Lilly's offer of going somewhere with Lilly on Sunday as well. But to be fair to Hanako, Lilly said that she has no idea what they would be doing, as Akira would be the one driving them. So God only knows what kind of stuff Akira would want to do, probably something inappropriate for underaged teens. Lilly also asked me to come once Hanako rejected her, but I came up with some vague excuse about going to the city for some shopping that day. She didn't seem to be entirely convinced, but she doesn't pursue the subject further.

When Sunday arrives, I gather all the things I'd need for a day at the pool; towel, goggles, bathing suit, spare clothes, and some other things that I don't care to recall. Dressed in a plain blue v-neck and black denim shorts, I head out to the bus stop. Conveniently enough, the bus arrives only a couple of minutes after I arrive.

As I watch the road go by me, I wonder how this next meeting with Yozora will turn out. While she did seem to want to see me again, a wrong move this early in the game would scare her off. Although knowing her, she's probably aware that the same terms apply to me as well. I feel kind of nervous thinking about this now. Again, this is another test of wits, except this time, Yozora and I will have to cooperate with each other. Given her...aggressiveness back at Starbucks, I'm not sure how this'll work out.

I finally reach the city with twenty minutes to spare before 10. So I take my time walking towards the Starbucks, pausing to purchase a bottle of orange juice, which I drain in a short amount of time. When I finally see the Starbucks, I recognize Yozora leaning against the store's window with a dark blue messenger bag slung over her shoulders. . She's wearing a pink version of the hat she wore last week, along with a black tank top and long denim jeans. Seeing her again in person does reaffirm my belief that she does look amazing. Looking around, she notices me and beckons me to her.

"I thought you'd be late. Maybe I should start threatening you if you're too early..." Yozora says when I get close.

"Well I showed up at least, didn't I? Oh, and nice to see you too, Yozora." I respond, pointing out her lack of greeting.

"Hmmph! Hello to you too, Hisao. Come on, we'll miss the bus." Without another word, Yozora grabs my hand and starts to lead the way towards her destination, presumably a bus stop that leads to the water park.

"Hey, I can walk by myself, y'know! I'm not going to run off or anything." I shout after a few minutes of being dragged.

Yozora stops, as if finally realizing that she was dragging me all along.

"Well, try to keep up than!" Yozora snarls as she throws my hand away. Well, she's certainly very spirited.

It turned out that the bus stop was only a few feet away from where I shouted at Yozora, making my protest moot. When the surprisingly empty bus comes, we both take seats in the same row, albeit in opposite sides of the aisle. This is awkward. I can't come up with anything to talk about, and Yozora does nothing to break the silence, opting instead to look out the window. Huh.

We leave the bus once it reaches the end of the line, which must be the water park. From the outside, it appears to be one giant translucent cube, except it's more elongated in the front and back. It must be pretty fancy. I take a moment to take in this giant building.

"Yeah I know it looks cool on the outside, but you might want to see the inside as well." Yozora says as she pushes me towards the automatic double doors. For a friendly outing, she's very pushy, literally.

Somehow, the inside looks even more amazing. One side of the park is entirely dedicated to a near-empty wave pool, while another section seems to be full of many kinds of water slides. In the center of it all appears to be an Olympic-sized swimming pool, except that instead of a rectangular shape, one side is in the shape of a semi-circle which then juts out into the shape of a rectangle. The wall next to the that pool contains a line of food kiosks and the entrances to the locker rooms. Heading to the register to pay for admission, Yozora suddenly turns to me.

"You're paying for two, right?" She asks in a suspiciously innocent voice. While I do have enough for two tickets and then some, why would Yozora want me to...Oh. I get it. She must be seeing how dedicated I really am to our little endeavour now, among other things. Anyways, it's too late for me to back out now.

"Yeah, sure, I can pay for you." Pulling out my wallet, I pay our entrance fee (which was pretty small considering the amenities) and we both make our way towards the locker rooms.

"Let's meet up at the center swimming pool. I haven't swam in a while and I could use some practice" I throw out as we go our separate ways. Entering the locker room, I pick a random locker and start to change. But as I take off my shirt, I suddenly realize that I still have a scar from my heart surgery back in the hospital. I'm not sure how I forgot about it, but then again, I don't have much reason to be going around shirtless in public...until now. While it's a small scar, a jagged, diagonal line cutting across where my heart is, I can't help but feel self-conscious.

Come on, Hisao, it's just a scar. If you had Hanako's scars, this would be a completely different story. And I suppose Yozora would need an explanation of my arrhythmia sooner or later. Now would be a good a time as any to tell her. After I finish changing and lock my stuff away, I step in front of the wall mirror once more. Besides the scar, there's nothing that would yell out 'cripple' to a normal bystander. Maybe one could think I have a horrible taste in swimwear thanks to my bright yellow trunks, but whatever. At least the park is fairly empty right now. After this self-confidence speech, I step out into the park and power walk towards the pool.

With a running start, I jump into the deeper part of the normal pool, receiving a shock of cold as the water envelops me. Swimming back up to the surface, I paddle towards a ledge to get ahold of my bearing. But then I notice I somehow swam towards a pair of feet. Looking up, it turns out said feed belonged to Yozora. She's wearing a full body zebra-striped swimming suit that shows no skin whatsoever. And she's giving me a disapproving look.

"Couldn't even wait for me before jumping in, huh?" She sits down on a part of the pool's ledge next to me, dipping her long legs into the water. "So what do you think of the park?"

I pull myself up from the pool and sit next to Yozora.

"It's amazing. I can't believe I didn't come here sooner. Not that I would have anyone to go with anyways." Not with Hanako's scars, anyways.

"Why wouldn't you be able to go with anyone?" Yozora inquires. Damn, shouldn't have thrown in that detail.

"Well...it's a bit more complicated than you'd think..." I'm still attempting to come up with either a cohesive explanation or an excuse when a loud voice that I recognize comes from the locker room.

"Hey, Lilly, hurry up! I wanna get to the wave pool before it fills up with people!"

Oh, God, no. It's Akira. And by the looks of it, Lilly's with her as well. This must've been the the place Akira was planning to take Lilly, Hanako, and I. Of all the times to come to the water park...

I twist my neck, if only to confirm my fears. And naturally, they are. Akira's calmly leaning against one of the tables, wearing a red two-piece that leaves a lot to be desired. Although that may be because Akira isn't exactly well endowed. Soon after, Lilly steps out of the women's locker room, but unlike her sister, Lilly's bathing suit suits her perfectly, wearing one of those brown strapless tops with the matching bottom as well. Lilly says something inaudible from this distance to Akira, and they start to walk in our direction. Shit, if they see me, I'm screwed. They'd immediately jump to the worst conclusion possible.

It looks like this Sunday is going to hell in a handbasket.


	4. An Unwanted Encounter

**Starting to lean more into Boku wa Tomadachi territory from here on out. Sorry Katawa Shoujo readers**** if you don't get some of the references.**

Without a second thought, I push Yozora into the pool, jumping in after her.

"Hey, what the hell was that for?" Yozora yells as she starts to tread water in an effort to stay afloat.

"Well, I figured it was time for you to get wet. This is a water park after all, emphasis on WATER!" I laugh a bit in an attempt to relieve the tension. No need for Yozora to figure out my true intention for pushing her in. Taking a deep breath, dive back under the surface of water before Yozora gets a chance to retort. Looking down, I see that the deep end of the pool is well...deep. Deeper than your average pool anyways. I'm tempted to try to touch the bottom, but the thought of having a heart attack all the way down there stops me.

Surfacing, I notice a black and white figure making splashes as it does a clean freestyle along the length of the pool. Must be Yozora. I start to do my own freestyle as I make my way to the shallow end of the pool. Unfortunately for me, I can't hold my breath for too long, so I find myself lifting my head out to breathe a bit too often for my liking. Once I get to a sufficiently shallow part of the pool, I do a quick 360 for any signs of Lilly or Akira. Luckily, besides the occasional family or couple, there's no sign of them. So I wave to Yozora to come over to me.

"Hey, Yozora, you want to try the water slides? I'm heading there now." I ask. Slides are always fun, and it's in the opposite direction of the wave pool.

Yozora smiles at that question, but it's not a happy smile. It's more of the "I'm going to get back at you" smile that makes me shiver.

"Sure! Last time I was here, I didn't get a chance to try them." She responds as we start to make our way out of the pool. Heading towards the slides, I'm still in awe about how big this park really is. The even odder spectacle (or lack of in this case) is the fact that there's barely anyone here, given the size of the park. One would think this place would be booming during the summer. Well, it's less lines for Yozora and I to face, so I'm not complaining.

After a couple of minutes, we find ourselves at the highest point of the park, opting to skip all the kiddie slides beneath us. A lifeguard stands sentinel at the platform, where four entrances to body slides beckon. Two of them are the dark, tunnel-like slides that I want to avoid. Being enclosed in a small dark space is enough; being in an enclosed small dark space while moving is something else entirely.

"So, Hisao, which one are you going to try first?" Yozora asks. She's behind me, so I get first dibs.

"I'll go for this one." I start to walk towards the left-most slide, an open slide that seems to be the shortest of the four from what I saw walking up the stairs. But suddenly, I find myself being redirected towards one of the tunnel slides.

"Don't be a pussy, Hisao. Try the tunnel ones. They're the most exciting." Yozora says as she pushes me along. To save face, I set myself down on the entrance, staring into the tunnel. The darkness of the tunnel feels very ominous. I'm not sure I want to try this now.

Feeling my apprehension, Yozora gives me no chance to back out. With a quick shove from her, I start to hurtle down the slide. Bracing myself, I flatten my body against the surface and hope for the best. The slide twists and turns, and without any light to anticipate those turns, I keep thinking that I'm going to hit a wall sooner or later. The feeling that I'm actually starting to go even faster does nothing to alleviate my fear, so I close my eyes.

After about thirty seconds of this, it feels like I'm never going to escape this slide. But suddenly light starts to seep in through my eyelids, and I find myself momentarily in midair.

"Ahh crap!" I yell before I plunge into the water.

I force myself up through the surface of the water, sputtering in an attempt to clear my head. I make my way towards the shallow end of the pool, hearing another splash as I extricate myself from the water. I look back at the water to find Yozora swimming towards me. As soon as she gets out of the water as well, she starts to laugh.

"Have fun back there?"

"Yeah, I actually did!" I'm lying through my teeth right now, but right now I have an image to save. "Did not expect you to push me though. Why'd you do that?"

"Eh, you took too long to slide in. You're supposed to go right in when the guy says you can drop in. You're not supposed to stare at the tunnel and wish it wasn't so scary." Yozora says as she starts for the stairs again. "Come on, Hisao. I wanna try all the slides before we eat."

She certainly is a handful. I'm starting to see why she'd have no friends now. But for some reason it makes me want to get closer to her. Maybe she's different under her hard exterior.

We end up trying all the slides, even the tiny kiddy ones, at least twice. I haven't seen hide nor hair of Lilly or Akira, so I start to loosen up and enjoy the park. Yozora and I barely speak a word throughout our run; it's just stairs, slide, pool, rinse and repeat. But she seems to be enjoying herself too, if her smile is any indicator. I guess this is one of those times where actions work better than words.

"Alright Yozora, I'm beat. You wanna grab some food now?" I ask after about an hour of non-stop sliding.

"Sure, I was starting to get hungry anyways. I'll grab some money, let's meet up by the taco stall."

Walking back towards the men's locker room, I realize that Yozora hasn't asked me about my scar yet. It's either she's been considerate of me, or she hasn't noticed it yet. Personally, I'm surprised I didn't ask about her zebra swimsuit yet.I guess I should explain it to her over lunch. Opening my locker, I towel myself dry and grab some money fo my food. Heading over to the taco stand, I meet up with Yozora again and purchase our food. Luckily, she doesn't ask me to pay for her food as well. I wouldn't have enough money for the bus fare home if I did.

Setting down in a table, we start to dig in. For a couple of minutes, it's just the sound of us two eating, too hungry to make conversation. As I'm about to bite into my third taco, Yozora breaks the silence.

"So, are you having fun?"

That's an odd question. There's really only one answer to that though.

"Yes, I am. Did you think I was somehow being bored by you?" I shoot back, attempting to determine Yozora's real motivation for asking that.

"Not really, but that's not the point. Friends are supposed to have fun when they're together, right?" Yozora curtly replies.

Friends. Huh, now that I think about it, the concept of friendship is odd. When does one stop being an acquaintance and become a friend? And when did Yozora start to view me as one?

"Yeah, I guess they're supposed to. It'd be no fun to be bored with your friends. I hope I'm not boring you as well." I answer, finishing the rest of my taco with one bite. I'm not sure exactly why there's a Mexican food stall in the park, but I'm not complaining. Tacos are good.

Yozora gives me a poker face glare, the same glare she used back in Starbucks. I get the feeling I'm being scrutinized, but the effect is ruined when she smiles.

"No, you're not boring at all Hisao. It's just, this is the first real social outing I've had in a long time. I just wanted to be sure you're enjoying this as well. I would be a bad friend if you weren't" She nearly whispers the last sentence, so I barely catch it. Her face also changed from a smile to one of melancholy. It feels off seeing this part of Yozora.

At that statement, I put back the can of soda I was going to drink on the table. She must really be seeing me as a friend, and her response right now is an attempt to bait out my view of her. She's clever. Taking the can, I take my time sipping it for dramatic effect. When I put it back, I've formulated my response.

"Ah, well despite the...hostile first impression you gave me, today is making me glad I didn't immediately run off that day. Being here with you today, I don't see how you're..." I trail off, unsure of how to describe what seems like her loner tendencies.

"Have no friends? You already know how much of a bitch I can be, Hisao. And I'm proud of it! People are very annoying! If you're alone, they think something's wrong with you!" Yozora raises her voice as she pounds her fist on the table. Then she suddenly grabs her drink, a bottle of water, and starts to chug it down, eyes closed.

Her outburst leaves me stunned. Even though much wasn't said, a piece of Yozora's outlook on life was revealed in her last two sentences. Unfortunately, I don't have time to think about this revelation, as a voice I did NOT want to hear called out.

"Hisao! Hey, Hisao!"

Turning around, I see Akira practically dragging Lilly as they run across to me from the food stalls. To quote an Italian curse word I read somewhere on the Internet: merde. Yozora's yelling must've attracted their attention.

"Oh, hello Akira, Lilly." I give them a nod of recognition when they get to my table. Yozora, who still has her eyes closed, opens them and looks up.

"You know these two, Hisao?" Yozora inquires.

"Err, yeah. They're my friends, well one of them is at any rate." I respond. I'm not sure what to consider Akira as relationship wise.

"Not cool, Hisao. We go to places together and you don't think I'm your friend?" Akira pouts, but her face isn't exactly suited to an expression like that, so my mental defenses remain unbroken.

"Well, you're the one who drives us. I should be calling you the chauffeur!" I shoot back, half jokingly and half seriously.

Before Akira can return fire, Lilly interjects.

"So Hisao, who are you with?" She asks, turning towards me. Her poker face is unmoving, so I can't tell what emotions are running through her right now.

"Err, a friend of mine. Yozora, this is my friend Lilly," I wave my arm to Lilly. "And this is her sister and chauffeur, Akira." I wave my other arm to Akira. "Lilly, Akira, this is Yozora." Using my head, I tilt in Yozora's direction.

"Hello there! Pleasure to meet you, Yozora." Akira steps forward, hand outstretched. But Yozora waves Akira away.

"Spare me the pleasantries. As if I wanted to know there was another Meat lookalike in the area. With a sibling too." Yozora says with a stern tone. Here we go.

A flash of surprise goes through Akira's face, but she quickly returns to her normal cheerful self. Lilly's poker face turns into a frown though.

"I take it you're referring to me as this "Meat" lookalike?" Lilly says.

This time, it's Yozora's turn to be surprised. But she quickly reverts back to normal.

"Ah, so this Meat has brains too. I'm surprised, I thought all your kind were bimbo airheads." Yozora confirms with an insulting tone. She must've touched one of Lilly's nerves, as Lilly turns to Yozora, arms folded over her big...boobs. Ok, I guess I've got a good idea of who this Meat person is now.

"Well, such comments certainly do tell a lot about your character" Lilly responds with a calm tone, at odds with her hostile posture. It isn't a direct insult, but Yozora must've understood her implication, as she suddenly stands up from her chair.

I better move to defuse this situation before something goes wrong.

"Oh, it's 2:00. Hisao, we'd better leave now." Yozora randomly declares as she grabs my arm and starts to pull me away from the table.

Not what I had in mind, but anything's good at this point if it gets Yozora and Lilly away from each other. Luckily, neither Lilly nor Akira asked what I was doing here.

"Umm, bye Akira! I'll see you in school tomorrow Lilly!" I shout out as they stare at me with a befuddled expression.

"Get changed and head for the bus stop." Yozora orders sternly as she marches towards the women's locker room. She's pretty riled up right now. I quickly get to my locker and change into the spare set of clothes I brought with me. After ensuring I didn't leave anything behind, I exit the lockers, where I see an already-changed Yozora waving from the entrance. I walk towards her, and together we board the waiting bus.

Unlike the first bus ride, Yozora opts to sit next to me when I pick a seat. Looking over at her, she still seems a bit agitated by the encounter, as her slightly heavy breathing indicates. I decide not to interrupt her brooding, choosing instead to look out the window of the bus. A couple of minutes later, I decide to ask Yozora something.

"Why'd we leave when you saw it was 2 o'clock? We still had some time left." I inquire.

Yozora, who's seemed to have calmed down now, looks at me with a hint of embarrassment.

"Well, it wasn't even about those two, to be honest. Ok, maybe a little bit, but I have an obligation that I must attend to most of the week. And it so happens that it usually starts around three in the afternoon."

"And I take it you won't tell me what this obligation is?" If she didn't want me to know what it was, she would've just came out with it.

"No. Not yet, at least. Maybe some other time." Yozora responds with an air of finality, turning away from me. I guess I will not be able to find out what this obligation is or why she was so hostile to Lilly, although that's to be expected. Hanako was like this when I first started talking to her...

I wonder what she's doing now. I'm with Yozora, and Lilly's still at the water park with Akira. I feel bad knowing that she's alone on the only free day of the week. Great, now I'm guilt-tripping myself into doing something with Hanako, now that I've done something with Yozora.

The rest of the bus trip passes by uneventfully. When we disembark at the city, Yozora's mood has brightened enough to engage in small talk, mainly about the stores we pass on the way to our respective bus stops. When we approach the Starbucks though, Yozora suddenly stops and turns to me.

"So, I guess this is goodbye, for now." She mumbles, looking slightly up to me. I just noticed that she's fairly tall herself, maybe only an inch or two shorter than me at most.

"Yeah, I guess it is." I dumbly reply. I look up, away from sky is still bright blue, but how this farewell is going makes it seem like it should be near sunset. I feel Yozora take my hand and press a folded note into the palm.

"Here's the money for my entrance fee. It'd be a shame if I freeloaded off a friend." She whispers, barely getting herself heard over the din of the city.

I attempt to pull my hand to my pocket, but Yozora suddenly tightens her grip. But as quickly as it happened, the pressure disappeared, and I deposit the money in my pocket. Looking back down, Yozora has her normal, slightly angry face back on. I guess it's back to retreating behind her shell for now.

"Bye, Yozora. I'll text you sometime this week." I say, taking a step away.

"No, Hisao, it's my turn to text you first. And unlike you, I won't leave you hanging. Or will I?" Yozora laughs, before waving to me and turning away. In a second, the crowd consumes her, and it's like she was never here, in front of me. After a couple of moments, I take my own leave, walking towards my bus stop.

Entering my dorm, I groan and throw my bag against the wall, where it slides to the floor with a thud. Stripping into my boxers, I fall backwards into my bed. A glance at my alarm clock tells me it's only four o'clock. But it feels like I've been awake for two days non-stop.

Thinking back to the encounter, I wish that those three had never met each other. While they never directly questioned me about why I was with Yozora, it's not hard to see what those two might be thinking. If Lilly tells this to Hanako...I bury my face in my pillow at the thought. While Yozora and I met up for purely innocent reasons, (as innocent as someone involving Yozora could be), things could get awkward really fast. Throw in the whole Hisao/Hanako date rumor, and there's one big recipe for trouble.

I need to distract myself from these thoughts. I get off my bed and change into some sweatpants and a white T-shirt. Maybe some TV will distract me long enough so that I can sleep tonight. I exit my room and head to the second floor common room. Since it's Sunday, most of the guys will be out playing or at the city, and the empty common room confirms my suspicions. Flipping the TV on, I start to channel surf.

Four hours later, I numbly get up from the coach, muscles screaming in pain from my awkward couch position. Gundam Wing certainly knows how to drain your brain. Entering my dorm once more, I strip back into my underwear. Somewhere between the fall to my bed and getting under my comforter, I go to sleep.

The next day, I walk into my classroom, refreshed and ready for Mutou's next wave of lectures. As the classroom fills up, Shizune and Misha don't show up. And since they're usually the earliest ones here, it brightens my day even more since I won't have to deal Misha's "Wahaha~!" or Shizune's attempts at either recruiting or flirting. Although I think the two are interchangeable at this point.

When Hanako walks in, she notices me and heads over to my desk. Well, there goes my day.

"H-hello, Hisao. How was your day yesterday?" Hanako timidly inquires.

Strange, if Lilly had told Hanako about Yozora, Hanako would definitely be asking me about her first. I might as well lie first and see where that takes me.

"It was ok, got tired wandering the city in search of cheap necessities." I reply, stretching my arms for emphasis. "How was yours?"

"It was a-alright, but I misplaced my school ID somehow. I came over to tell you I won't be joining you and Lilly during lunch because I have to head down to the S-Student Council room and get a replacement." Her voice has the air of someone who accidentally committed a crime.

"Oh, that's fine then, Hanako. There's always tomorrow. Don't worry about it." I say in an attempt to soothe her.

Mutou's arrival is soon heralded by the loud bang as the door shoots open. Hanako rushes to her seat, and the school day begins.

When the lunch bell rings, Hanako immediately dashes out of the room. She must be really eager to get her ID, but then again, you do need it for a lot of the services Yamaku offers here. I take the now familiar path to the tea room, where I walk in to see Lilly sipping a cup of tea.

"Hey, Lilly." I greet her as I take the seat opposite her.

"Hello, Hisao. I'm glad you've made it here today. If you don't mind, I have a couple of questions for you. You probably already have an idea of what I'm going to ask." Lilly says.

With the mention of the questions, the encounter with Yozora, Lilly, and Akira zooms back into my brain. Gundam Wing must've really done a number on my brain if I managed to forget about that incident until now. What seemed like a good day is now going downhill fast. I take a deep breathe to collect my wits. I have a feeling I will need them this lunch period.

"Alright Lilly. Fire away."


	5. Interrogation

**This chapter's shorter because I wanted to get something out before my 5 day writing break. College work is starting to pile up and I need to give my imagination some rest. Next update should be around Thursday or Friday.**

Lilly places her cup down, face furrowed in concentration. Probably trying to figure out how best to phrase her question without being too forward.

"I suppose I'll make this first one simple. Who is Yozora?" She asks after a couple of minutes.

"She's a friend of mine. I think I said that back at the park " I respond immediately. I have no hesitation of calling her a friend now.

Lilly doesn't show any trace of emotion following this response, instead opting to plow on with the interrogation.

"So I take it she was the reason why you declined my offer to go to the water park with Akira and I? I doubt there's much you can shop for over there." The last sentence she says with a hint of sarcasm.

"Well, you didn't even know what Akira had planned! That and I had already made plans with Yozora beforehand." If I had known that they were going to go to that water park, I don't know what I would've done.

"So how come you didn't use that as your excuse? Your behavior right now is highly...suspicious." Lilly emphasizes the last word, no doubt in an attempt to convey what her suspicions are to me. Too bad I already know what they are.

"Well, that's the reason why I didn't use that as an excuse. If I said I was going to a water park with a girl, you'd probably take it the wrong way. Like right now." I blurt out without thinking. She's really being accusatory right now, and I don't like that. What I do on my own time is my business.

Lilly frowns, breaking the poker face she's been holding the past few minutes.

"Hisao, I'm not like that. It's not like I'm possessive of either you or Hanako for that matter. It's just that..." Lilly stops, probably trying to come up with the appropriate words. "...it's just that from what Akira told me, Yozora's basically a carbon copy of Hanako, besides some obvious differences."

Like Hanako's scars, duh. Although she might be referring to Yozora's personality too. Why would she mention that though...

"So what's your point? I noticed the similarities too, yes, but I don't see what that has to do with anything." I remark. An idea does come to me while I say this, but I'm playing the innocent card right now.

"My point is..." For the second time, Lilly falters. This time however, she changes course completely. "Never mind, if you two are just friends, it's not my place to interfere."

Ok...did not expect that. Lilly can be persistent when she needs to be, so this is a first. I'm not complaining if she's dropping the matter for now.

"She is a bit abrasive though. But I'm sure you've already seen that, haven't you?" Lilly throws out. Another off-character instance, the Lilly I know doesn't throw out direct jabs at people, even against Shizune. I suddenly receive an urge to defend Yozora.

"Eh, once you get to know her, she's not that bad. She's like that to everyone." I respond honestly.

Lilly sighs, placing her drained cup on the table.

"Hisao, you certainly do have a lot of patience."

Coming from someone who's managed to deal with all of Hanako's problems for over a year, that's a pretty good compliment.

"Thanks, Lilly. Do you have any more inquiries?"

"Actually, just one more. When do you plan on asking Hanako to another date?" Lilly asks jokingly, giggling a little bit.

This is one of those moments where I'm kind of glad Lilly's blind so she can't see my quickly blushing face. It's going to be a week since that move night. And recalling that guilt-tripping I did back with Yozora is making me feel obligated to do something with Hanako. But for now, I'll try to play it off and divert Lilly's attention.

"Ah, well I haven't had a chance to see her yet. If you'd like, I could take you on one instead. I don't want to leave you out." I respond back, only half seriously. Although now that I think about it, I've actually never been with Lilly alone, for the most part. Going out for a night with her would be interesting, even if it would be only as friends.

My 'offer' catches Lilly off guard though (at least I think so) as her normally pale face starts to redden. It takes her a couple of moments to compose herself before responding.

"That's a very nice offer coming from you, Hisao. I may take you up on that offer one day." She says as we start to clean up the table.

I can't come up with a response to that. I'm not sure if Lilly caught the not-serious part of my sentence, but it's too late to recall it now without sounding like a dick. Well, like I said, it'd still be interesting to go out with Lilly somewhere, so I don't see anything wrong with this. Unless someone from school catches us. Again.

As soon as we finish cleaning up, the bell rings. I make my way back to class, where I notice Hanako isn't back yet. Just how much time does it take to get a replacement? When the teacher arrives, I lose hope of seeing Hanako, at least in class anyways. Maybe this is one of those instances where she disappears from class.

As soon as the bell rings, I immediately pack my things and run away before Shizune and Misha has a chance to distract me. Heading to the lobby, I take a seat on a bench and start to ponder where Hanako might be. There's really only two places she could be: the library or her dorm. Getting up, I make my way to the library.

When I get there, the library seems to be deserted except for the occasional student reading or sleeping. I make my way over to Yuuko, who's shuffling papers around.

"Hey Yuuko. Have you seen Hanako?" I ask as I approach her.

"What?" Yuuko drops her papers on the desk. She must've been startled by my greeting. Looking up, she notices it's me and visibly calms down a bit.

"Oh, it's you Hisao. Well, um, I didn't see Hanako at all today. Unless she came in when I was reaching under my desk for a paper I dropped. W-which was about five seconds. But I don't think Hanako's that fast..." Yuuko stammers out. She really needs to learn to calm down.

"Oh, ok then. Thanks for the info, Yuuko."

I leave the library and head towards the dorms. I realize that I still have my bookbag on me, so I head over to the boys dorm first to drop it off. Entering my room, I carefully place my bag on the floor, removing the books I'll need for the homework later tonight. Looking out the window, I ponder on what Hanako and I should do next. That movie night certainly brought us closer together, but what would be an appropriate follow-up to such an opening act?

As I'm about to leave my room, my phone rings. Taking it out, the screen says it's from Yozora. Oddly enough, it looks to be a call, not a text. Of all the times to contact me, why now? Sighing, I flip open my phone. Hopefully this won't take long, although I do wonder why she's calling me to begin with.

"Hello Yozora."

"Oh, Hello Hisao. I thought you weren't going to pick up for a second. I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

**No, I'm not doing anything of importance.**

**Yeah, actually. I'm in the middle of something important.**

"No, I'm not doing anything of importance. What do you want to talk about?"

I suppose I can take some time to chat with Yozora. Hell, I didn't even expect her to contact me this early.

"Ehh, I dunno. How was your day?" She inquires.

"It was alright. Managed to stay awake the whole day in school. Also had a nice cup of tea over lunch with Lilly."

"Lilly? Oh, you mean the Meat lookalike. I did not expect you to have a friend like that, Hisao."

"Why would you think that? And since you mentioned it, who is this Meat you talk so much about?"

Yozora goes silent for a couple of seconds. I take advantage of the quick break to take a seat on my chair.

"Well, don't you think it's obvious from her appearance? Blonde hair, blue eyes, big breasts. She's obviously the popular type." She says with distaste.

"And I'm guessing you don't like popular people? Lilly's pretty nice." Pretty big understatement, considering what she's done for Hanako and I.

"I think I'll let you figure that out for yourself. And about Meat, well she's someone from my school who I hate. Kind of. I used to really hate her before this year though, she's got the same blonde, blue eyed, big boobs look that all the guys in my school love. She has a personal army of males who do her bidding, and from what Lilly looks like, I could see her having her own personal manservants as well."

Personal student servants? Damn, this Meat must be really attractive if she has those kind of followers. Sure, Lilly's fairly popular in Yamaku, but I haven't seen a gaggle of guy students following her around. Yet, anyways.

"Well, sorry to disappoint you Yozora, but Lilly doesn't have an army of adoring male students who would do their bidding. Although I will concede that she is pretty popular."

"Ahh, I knew I was right. " Yozora says victoriously. "But no army? You sure about that? I swear if you're one of them, we are never talking again."

"No, no I'm not, I swear. She really doesn't have anyone like that." I hastily respond.

"Good, I'd lose a lot of respect for you if you did."

Knowing Yozora, she'd probably stop talking to me altogether. Well, I'd better get in a question I haven't had the chance to ask yet.

"So...would you mind telling me what's this obligation you had to attend to yesterday?"

I hear Yozora sigh from the other side of the phone.

"Alright Hisao, I might as well. I recently started a club dubbed The Neighbors Club. And since I am the president of said club, I need to show up to the meetings on a timely basis. Y'know, make an impression and all that."

A club? Sounds out of place considering what Yozora said about people.

"And what is the purpose of such a club? I didn't think you'd be in one, let alone run one."

"Well, the purpose of the Neighbors Club is to make friends." Yozora declares. "So you can imagine what kind of misfits who joined my club. Meat was my first member."

Well this just keeps getting weirder and weirder. And now I'm left wondering just who is this Meat? Gaggle of adoring guys, and still joins club with the purpose of learning to make friends.

"Sounds like an interesting club. You ought to let me go to one of your meetings."

"Maybe one day, Hisao. So, you're not going to bother to ask me how my day went too?"

That's an odd change in subject. Maybe she doesn't want me to see who these club members are. But then again, with such an odd objective, I can't blame her for not wanting me to see her members.

We exchange small talk for a few more minutes, before Yozora remarks that she has homework to do. Looking back at the pile of books I extracted from my bag, I say that I have some to do as well, and hang up.

Looking back out the window, the sun is already setting, below the tree line. Seems like my chance to do something with Hanako today is gone. Well, I think I should probably take her out to the city or something; the two of us have probably been to all the local spots by now. And at least I got to know Yozora a little better.

Thinking back on the conversation, I realize that Yozora never asked what Lilly's disability is, or mine's for that matter. She's treating everyone she meets the same way. I don't know whether she forgot that I'm from Yamaku or if she's just ignoring it, but it makes me feel better knowing that my (unknown to Yozora as of right now) condition isn't affecting the way she talks to me. Although I wonder what would have happened if I threw out that Lilly was blind in their introductions. Would she still have been hostile, or maybe she would have held back out of pity?

Deep in thought, I break out of it so I can get started on the pile of homework I left on the table. Sighing, I get to work.


	6. Flow

**This is getting harder to write. **

It's been a few days since that phone call with Yozora. There hasn't been a opportune moment to ask Hanako out to the city since then, because my homework load is starting to increase again. Now, the guilt-tripping that's made me want to hang out with Hanako has faded. Not that I don't like her, it's just my motivation seems to have dropped.

I interlace my fingers on the chain link fence on the roof on Friday morning, enjoying the cool air in the morning before school starts. I got up early and made my way up here before anyone could stop me. If anything, the roof is the perfect place to think and meditate. I imagine Lilly is going to invite Hanako and I somewhere again though, so I'm not too worried about going too long without an outing with Hanako. Saturday is looming though, so maybe I should try to make plans for tomorrow.

Looking at my phone, it's nearly time for class to start, so i start to make my way off the roof. Yozora hasn't texted or called since that Monday, so I'm kind of worried about her. But then again, I've only contacted her first once. More than likely she's waiting for me this time. But for now, Mutou and class beckons.

Shizune and Misha greet me as I enter. Dunno why they're here so early, so I give them a halfhearted wave before taking my seat next to them. Somehow, Misha is angered by my action.

"Hisao! That's no way to greet the Student Council!" Misha says angrily, or at least I think it's supposed to be angry.

"Ah, sorry Misha. I'm just tired. Homework kept me up last night and I woke up early today."

Misha wags her finger disapprovingly at me.

"Well you shouldn't be keeping your homework until the last minute...That's right Shicchan, he's a disgrace to our class."

It's still odd to hear Misha say as well as sign her response to Shizune. If Shizune wasn't there, I'd swear Misha was crazy...well she is a bit crazy to begin with, with her cheerfulness and all that. Now I have to go defend myself.

"If you haven't noticed, i am doing good in this class. So the ends justify the means." I remark.

They both know this, so I don't get why they're bothering me about the homework now.

"Well Hicchan, if you did your homework early, you'd get more free time! And more free time is always a good thing!" Misha says happily.

Shizune suddenly signs something to Misha. Misha suddenly lights up, as if she had just remembered something.

"And speaking of free time, Hicchan, are you free after class today?"

Oh great...I gotta come up with an excuse, and fast. I should buy some time first.

"Well, why do you ask?" Because that isn't an obvious question or anything like that.

Shizune and Misha grin innocently at this question. They start to have a heated signing conversation, probably planning their attack. Suddenly, a stroke of inspiration hits me. Breaking out my phone, I turn away from the pair and quickly select Yozora. I text:

"Hey, Yozora. Do you have any plans after school?"

Pressing the send button, I turn back towards Shizune and Misha, who appear to have been waiting for me to finish up.

"What you doing there, Hicchan?" Misha asks.

"Nothing. Just checking the time." I lie.

"Oh, well today's one of our free days, and we were going to go down to the Shanghai to eat. Of course, we could use the company of someone like you, Hisao." Misha translates.

Hmm, if I hadn't been tricked and deceived in their attempts to recruit me to the Student Council, this would have seemed an innocent enough offer. But...I had been tricked and deceived. Feeling my phone vibrate, I take it out and quickly read the message.

"No, I don't. Since you asked, I'm assuming you have nothing to do as well. Would you mind if I come over to Yamaku this afternoon? No one from club is here today."

Well that's an odd plan. I never considered the idea of Yozora coming over to Yamaku. After all, gossip about me would spread like wildfire if I'm seen with her. Ah well, I can easily explain it away. Hopefully. It's either that or being with Shizune and Misha for the whole afternoon, and it's obvious which option I'm going to pick. I text my response back to Yozora:

"Yeah, sure. I can meet you at the bus stop in front of the school around 2:30. Do you know how to get here?"

"Hicchan! Who are you texting?" Misha screeches. I wince under the sound of her voice.

"No one you know. Oh, and I can't go with you guys. I have plans today." I respond once I recover.

Shizune and Misha don't look pleased at my answer. I notice Shizune staring at my phone, who then quickly signs to Misha.

"Are you sure it's not because you just made plans now?" Misha inquires. Well, even if they figured it out, it's too late now.

"No, that was just Kenji ranting about something as usual. But he invited me to go disco bowling yesterday, so I figured I might as well go, see why he does that to begin with." I lie again. To be honest, I actually do want to see what disco bowling is about. Maybe I'll ask Kenji about that soon. My explanation seems to sate Misha and Shizune, as they visibly cool down.

"Oh, ok then Hicchan. You're eventually going to hang out with us two! Wahaha~!" Misha laughs.

Turning away, I see Hanako enter the classroom. She gives me a little wave before taking her seat at the back of the classroom. Weird. She usually comes up to me to say hi and talk for a bit. I better not overreact to this though. Mutou comes in a few minutes later, and the lecture promptly starts.

At the lunch bell, Hanako and I promptly make our way to the tea room. Lilly joins us soon after, and we start our lunch ritual of making tea to go along with whatever lunch we have. Breaking out a bag of chips from the U.S. called Doritos, I start to idly munch on them while waiting for the tea to cool down. I'm not exactly sure where my parents finds all this foreign junk food to send to me, but I'm not complaining. These chips are really good.

"Hisao, Hanako, are you two free this Saturday?" Lilly asks, breaking the silence of the room.

Hanako and I exchange glances, before we respond in unison.

"Yeah."

"Oh, that's good then. Akira's offering to take us to this jazz club out in the city Saturday night. We didn't get a chance to do anything last week, so Akira and I thought it would be nice to go somewhere new this time." Lilly says, looking visibly relieved.

Well my prediction about Lilly inviting us somewhere came true. So now I have plans for today and tomorrow! For someone with a barebones social life like me, that's pretty unprecedented. Looking over at Hanako, she also seems happy to be going somewhere on Saturday.

"It sounds like it'll be fun, Lilly." Hanako remarks while sipping some tea.

"Yeah, I've never been to a jazz club before." I add in.

"Neither have I, Hisao. But Akira must really like it if she wants to bring us three there." Lilly says.

Hmm, I wonder why Akira would like a jazz club. Maybe because they have good alcohol? Ok, this might be a question to dwell on later. The bell's about to ring again, so the three of us hastily clean up before heading back to our respective classroom.

Looking back at the past two weeks, sometimes it feels like I'm living one extended dream sequence right now. I mean, the way I met Yozora was so completely random on both of our parts: Me for confusing her for Hanako, and her for making me stay and talk to her. And now it's come to the point where Yozora's actually coming over to my school for a social visit. The fact that she looks a LOT like Hanako doesn't help either. The whole long black hair (although Yozora has some pink bows on the ends of her hair), purple eyed, socially inept jig is downright creepy at times. In a way, I imagine that's what Hanako would look like unscarred. It's obvious that she would be beautiful without them scars...

Maybe that's why Lilly was concerned when she first saw me and Yozora at the water park together...but I'm sure that this whole relationship with Yozora is completely platonic...She may be abrasive and hidden in her shell, but she definitely has the looks. And from what I've seen so far, Yozora has personality as well once you get past the shell. Makes me glad I did stay that day...

The teacher stops his lecture to give me a "Stop daydreaming" stare. Taking his hint, I get back to copying notes.

When the bell rings at 2:15, I find myself stealthily leaving the classroom with the bulk of my classmates before either the Student Council or Hanako can find me. I realize that Yozora never texted back whether she knew how to get here or not. Hopefully she can figure it out; she is more knowledgeable of the bus routes than I am at any rate.

Heading back to the boys dorm to change, I notice what appears to be Kenji (Can't really confuse his thick eyeglasses with anyone else's) talking to a girl with pale skin and a long white braid on a bench not far off from the dorm entrance. And here I thought he was against all women. I keep my eyes locked on the two, and just before I enter, I spy the girl slapping Kenji across the face before walking away like it never happened. Ouch. I have a feeling he's going to tell me about that next time we talk.

Reaching my dorm, I quickly change into a polo uniform shirt and a pair of brown shorts that fit with the uniform code. I'm not really concerned about appearance as much as being comfortable right now. Somehow I changed into the long-sleeved shirt and pants version of our uniform, and didn't notice until I got to school. Racing back the building, I quickly (as much as my heart allows) make my way to the school gate.

Passing the gate, I see a bus pulling away, with one former passenger left in its wake: Yozora. By the looks of it, she's still wearing her school uniform as well; short green skirt, long black stockings that reach up to her thighs, and a short sleeved buttoned white shirt with what appears to be an extremely small...tie? I think. I wave at her to come over, and she runs over to me.

"Hey, Hisao." Yozora says when she gets close to me. Upon further inspection, she has a gymsack slung over her back, and it looks pretty full. But I ignore that for now.

"Hello, Yozora. Fancy seeing you here, eh?" I respond. Unconsciously, I take her hand and lead her through the gate...wait, what did I just do. I hear Yozora make a small meep of surprise, but she goes with the flow and allows me to take the lead. Her hand feels soft and light, almost ethereal in its presence.

"You know very well we planned to meet up here. So, any reason why you took my hand?" Yozora asks while we walk to the school park. Luckily, everyone's still either at school or heading to their dorms, so no one's in sight yet. I look back at her, and it looks like she's blushing a bit. Time to defuse this situation.

"Think of this as payback for you dragging me through the city the first time we hung out." I reply jokingly. "Do you have a problem with this?"

Yozora looks away, probably slightly embarrassed by the situation. But suddenly I find myself being yanked forward as she starts to march ahead of me, hand clamped over my hand.

"Now, I don't!" I hear Yozora say as I struggle to keep up with her. She marches us over to a bench that I vaguely recognizes and gently pushes me on the bench before taking a seat herself, while still holding hands. I don't mind it though, for now.

"So, this is Yamaku, huh? I have to admit, it's a lot more picturesque than St. Chronicas." Yozora comments.

"Yeah, it looked idyllic when I first came here. Clean air, greenery everywhere, modern facilities, it's one of those schools most kids would want to go to. Except-"

"Except that this is a school for the physically disabled, so some kids don't want to go here because it means there's something wrong with them and they'll feel excluded from normal life. If I somehow ended up with a physical disability, that's how I'd feel, at any rate." Yozora finishes. She really is perceptive at times. And she managed to hit home my reason for being reluctant to go here to begin with.

"Wow. Pretty much hit my reason for not wanting to go here spot on." I echo my thoughts.

I reluctantly pull my right hand away from Yozora, although this time she doesn't resist. After all, we're out in public.

"Well, great minds think alike, don't you think?" Yozora says, pulling her hand back towards her lap.

"Yeah, you're right. So anyways, why'd you want to come over here to begin with? I wouldn't have minded meeting you in the city or something." I ask.

Yozora doesn't give me an immediate response, opting to look away and twiddle with her thumbs. After a couple of seconds, she speaks.

"Well, I guess I felt bad for making you come all the way over to the city just for me. So now I'm returning the favor. And I um... wanted to see what kind of school Yamaku is as well. It's a lot better than I imagined."

"Oh, that makes sense I guess. Once you get past all the disabled kids bit, this school really isn't as different as a normal public or private high school."

"Well obviously, I'm here right now. Duh." Yozora sarcastically replies.

The sun's repeated assault on my skin starts to get the best of me, so I figure I should show Yozora around the school, if only as an excuse to meet sweet air conditioning.

"So, Yozora, d'you want a tour of the school? After all, you did say you wanted to see how Yamaku's like?"

"Yeah sure. Sounds interesting."

I get up from the bench, dusting myself off. Looking back, I see Yozora's still firmly planted on the bench. I give her a perplexed look.

"So?"

"Aren't you supposed to be a gentleman and help a lady up from her seat? For a guy, you're really uncivilized." Yozora says dispassionately.

"Really...? Or is this an excuse for me to take your hand again?" I call her out.

Yozora gasps, but starts to stare me down from her seat.

"No it's not. It's just normal manners! Are you going to help me up or am I going to have to sit here all day?" She threatens.

Well, this is a lost battle. It's not that I don't like touching her, it's just that right now, we're in the belly of the beast. As in, the middle of school grounds in the open. Where people can see me. I already led her around once, but nearly all the students were still near the school or dorm that time. Now, students and faculty are buzzing around the park, and I'm obviously going to be seen.

Sighing, I offer my hand to Yozora. She takes it, and I pull her up from the bench. I quickly attempt to wrest said hand away from her, but she holds firm.

"You're my guide, right? You're supposed to be leading me around then." Yozora comments with a smirk.

With a grumble, I start to lead her towards the main campus, maintaining enough distance so that people won't confuse us for a couple. I notice a few stares our way, but I think it's more because of Yozora's uniform standing out, at least in here anyways. Entering the school campus, a wave of air conditioned air strikes me, cooling me off. The lobby is deserted, as usual since school is out.

"So, what do you want to check out first?" I ask.

"Eh, I'm not sure exactly. I guess you can show me your usual hangout spots. Every student has one of those in every school." Yozora replies.

Well, at least this tour will be a short one. There's only two places I go to outside of my classroom and the cafeteria. I take Yozora up some stairs until we arrive at a familiar place: the tea room. I move away from Yozora, although thankfully she doesn't try pulling any more fishy business. What does she stand to gain by making me drag her around by her hand?

"So, what is this place? Doesn't seem like anything special to me." Yozora says.

I head over to the shelves full of tea making necessities and look for something to snack on, to no avail. I take my usual seat on the table, and beckon Yozora to take the seat opposite me, which she does.

"Well, this is a place I like to call the tea room. Lilly, Hanako, and I usually meet up here at lunchtime to have tea and talk. It also helps that it's in a secluded corner of the school so no one can interrupt us."

Yozora's taking in the small room, looking at the tiny sink Lilly uses to wash the tea set and the stove used to heat the teapot.

"Very quaint. Kinda reminds me of my club room over at St. Chronicas. Except a bit smaller, obviously. Do you know how to make tea?"

"No, Lilly or Hanako usually does the tea making. Can you?"

"Nope. One of the members in my club, Yukimara, makes pretty good tea though. Makes it every club meeting."

Sounds like a pretty dedicated guy, this Yukimara. Maybe I should get around to learning how to make tea. I don't want to be a burden on Hanako or Lilly every lunchtime.

Looking out the window, it looks like I should get a move on with the tour. I have an idea about where to take Yozora after this.

"So, Yozora, let's keep moving. I want to show you my other spot." I say, offering my hand to her this time. The school is deserted, so I have no qualms about this. She takes my hand, and together we head towards the stairs to the roof.

The summer heat hits my face as we go through the door, but I don't mind it. The gravel crunches beneath me as I lead her to the edge of the roof.

"Well, I guess I'd call this my second spot. The roof. It's a pretty good place for thinking when you're alone." I explain. I move my right hand (the one that isn't attached to Yozora's) and grab the fence. Peering down at the school grounds below us, I start to wonder: Yozora certainly has become a lot warmer with me now, to the point where it's comfortable to touch each other, well casual contact anyways. But still, it's a good sign of progress I'm making with her. We're just two lonely souls looking for someone to be lonely with...wait no, that's not right. I'm already interested in someone...Hanako.

A small part of me is suggesting that Yozora would be a good girl to go out with though. Emphasis on small. The majority of my mind is arguing that even though we're getting closer, there's still a lot to learn about Yozora.

"Hisao, are you alright?"

Apparently, the war in my head hasn't gone by unnoticed, as Yozora's giving me a worried look. Maybe that conflict was showing in my facial features somehow. I quickly give her a smile to reassure her.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Yozora. I just wished I had more places to show you...and that you'd let go of my hand by now. If you want, we could head down to town and get some food at this local cafe, the Shanghai." I add the hand comment as a joke, I think I'm getting used to this by now

"You're so stubborn, Hisao. Just for that..." Yozora squeezes my hand extra hard. "I'm not letting go until we get to this Shanghai."

...why? I should've figured Yozora would have something like that planned if I made a wrong remark.

"Well, let's go then." Resigned to my fate, I lead Yozora off the roof and start to make our way to the Shanghai. The walk is a lengthy one, since we have to traverse the park as well as the road down towards the town. This time, more stares are headed our way, although thankfully none of them come from the four people I don't want to see right now; Hanako, Lilly, Shizune, and Misha. If any of them see me, it'll get awkward really fast.

I notice the sun starting to sink in the sky, and my watch says it's about 4:00. That should be enough time to eat at the Shanghai and wander for a bit before seeing Yozora home. With a plan in mind, I settle down a bit, animatedly talking to Yozora about random things like the can't-miss movie of the year, Left 4 the Half-Fortress, and foreign junk food.

When we get to the Shanghai, I notice that it's empty, as usual. Even the waitress is missing. Well, until a figure rushes up to me and Yozora.

"Welcome to the Shanghai! I wasn't sleeping in the back or anything!" Yuuko stammers as she gives the two of us a high velocity bow.

"Yuuko! Calm down, it's just me Hisao." I say.

Yuuko, noticing that it is me, stops looking distressed. How did she ever get a job waitressing?

"Oh, hello Hisao. You and your friend can take any seat you want. I'll be with you shortly." She says before turning away. She did look a bit disheveled, she's probably going to straighten herself out first. I lead Yozora to a table by the window, and finally extricate my hand again. For some odd reason, a feeling of emptiness soon follows me.

"Hey Hisao, does this place have any menus? I don't see anything resembling one around here?" Yozora asks.

Ahh yes, the dilemma I faced when I first came here.

"Nope, they don't. Well, I haven't seen anyone ask for a menu in the couple of months I've been here." I respond.

"That's stupid. Waitress!" Yozora calls out. Yuuko comes flying out at high speed, visibly neater than the last time we saw her.

"Oh, what would you two like?" Yuuko nervously asks, holding a pen and pad.

"Well, first of all, d'you have a menu? I have no idea what food this establishment has." Yozora says back.

Yuuko starts to shake at that question. Does this place really have no menus?

"Of course we have a menu!" She bolts off to a door leading somewhere, and quickly comes back with two battered laminated pieces of paper, which she hands to both of us. Examining the menu, it simply says 'The Shanghai', then a pretty extensive list of food and prices. Sandwiches, soups, pies, ice cream, pastries, etc. For a small establishment, this place has a lot of selection. Looking up to Yozora, she's already placed down the menu. Huh, that was fast. Looking back at the menu, I spy something called a Turkey Club sandwich that looks tasty.

"I'll take this Turkey Club sandwich and a cup of coffee." I order.

"I'll have a ham and cheese sandwich and a cup of coffee." Yozora orders.

"Ok," Says Yuuko as she scribbles down our orders. "I will be back shortly with your orders." With that, she runs towards the back of the restaurant, presumably to make our food.

"She's a skittish one." Yozora observes.

"That isn't even the half of it. She's the librarian over at Yamaku as well. She can get even more riled up than she it right now trying to do her job properly."

"She's just a train wreck waiting to happen." Yozora says harshly.

Well, that's a brutally honest statement. I can't help but agree with her though. But it's not like I want that to happen anytime soon.

"Well, let's hope the train doesn't manage to get itself in a bad situation to begin with. So what's up with the gymbag?" I ask, noticing the bag next to Yozora.

Yozora shrugs. "Eh, I had plans to make the club go to the gym to work out." Then Yozora's voice takes on a sarcastic tone. "Mysteriously, the day we were supposed to go, everyone's absent. Typical."

"Well, maybe they all coincidentally had obligations that day. You never know."

"Hisao, you're so forgetful. The Neighbors Club consists of people with no friends. What obligations could they possibly have?" Yozora scoffs.

"I dunno, maybe their parents dragged them somewhere? Or they're sick? There's lots of reasons for being out of school." I reason out. It seems my logic has struck Yozora cold, as she looks like she has nothing to say back.

Yuuko arrives and places two cups and our respective sandwiches in front of us, than scurries away before we can ask for anything else. This interruption breaks Yozora out of her trance, and as we both take our sandwiches, I hear the door suddenly burst open.

Turning around, I see two girls, one with pink drills and the other with short dark blue hair walk in the Shanghai. Aww shit.

**Yeah, I'm trying to plan an ending soon. Making everything seem plausible is hard business.**


	7. Decency

**Here be a new chapter. I feel like I botched the dialogue a bit, so pointing them out would be helpful. Next update is unknown, since finals are upon me. Sorry!**

Wait...

I look closer at the two girls, noticing something off. The girl with drills is way too thin to be Misha, and the blue haired one is too chubby to be Shizune. That, and they're wearing normal clothes, not the Yamaku uniform. When they start to look around, I catch sight of their faces, which are completely different from the Student Council.

Well, I dodged a bullet there. What're the odds of two girls with the exact same hairstyles as Misha and Shizune walking in during my meal with Yozora? And how am I defying said odds?

Turning back to Yozora, she's giving me a confused look, with one eyebrow raised.

"Problem, Hisao?"

"No, nothing." I quickly respond before taking a bite of my sandwich. This turkey club is pretty good, I should remember to have this again.

She looks like she doesn't believe me, but shrugs and starts to eat as well. We stay like this for some time, silently eating our food and sipping our coffee. I can't really think of anything to say, really. And I don't want to sound stupid trying to break the silence. Yuuko nervously creeps up to us after seating the two Student Council lookalikes.

"Do you two need anything else?" Yuuko inquires, eyes looking at anything except the two of us.

"Ehh, no, I'm good. What about you, Yozora?"

Yozora, draining the last of her coffee, shakes her head. Yuuko than produces a receipt from her apron, presumably the bill. Being the gentleman that I am, I start to take out my wallet.

"Hisao, no. I got this." Yozora suddenly says while fumbling for her own wallet inside her bag.

"Yozora, no, I can pay for this!" I protest while opening my wallet. Apparently, it's too late, as Yozora just pulled out a large bill and handed it to Yuuko, who leaves to get the change. Damn.

"I told you I got it." She says with a victorious smirk. Why do I have a feeling that this will bite me in the..arse later?

Yuuko returns with Yozora's change and leaves with the dirty dishes. Getting up, I take Yozora's offered hand and head outside. Checking my phone for the time, it's already 5:00. Time is flying by too fast right now. Didn't even feel like I was in the Shanghai for thirty minutes. Now what else could I do with Yozora...?

While I think, we silently walk down the town's main road, passing the Aura-mart. Yozora's moved up so now we're walking side by side, hand-in-hand, like a couple...except that we're not? Now that I think about it, I'm not obligated to lead her by the hand (literally) since I'm not guiding her through the school or to the Shanghai anymore. But still, my hand stays clasped with hers. Maybe I'm just overthinking it. We're friends, and holding each other from time to time never hurt anyone. Unless of course the girl you like or her friend sees you and takes it the wrong way.

"Hey, Hisao. Is that the theater?" Yozora asks, breaking my concentration while gesturing to the movie theater I took Hanako to.

"Um, yeah, that's it. Why?"

"Well, you were raving about Left 4 The Half-Fortress on our way here. And we still have a lot of time to kill, so I was wondering if you'd want to go see it with me...again in your case." Yozora says, looking a lot more innocent than she usually is.

"Well, I dunno, why would I spend money on a movie I already saw?" I counter.

Yozora huffs and looks away, reverting back to angry mode. After a couple of seconds, she speaks.

"Fine, if I pay for your ticket, would you go with me?"

Can't argue with that. I don't have an option here at any rate, since the rules of social conduct dictate that I just can't abandon Yozora here. I just hope the movie doesn't lose a lot of its luster if I go through it a second time.

"Yeah sure I suppose." I respond. Yozora looks positively elated at this news, and starts to run over to the theater, dragging me with her. After she pays for two tickets, we stride into the theater and take two seats smack dab in the middle of the theater. Watching the same trailers I've seen already, I close my eyes and start to meditate. With the darkness, Yozora shouldn't notice, at least I hope so anyways. God only knows what kind of rant I'd receive if she caught me.

After the trailers finish, I hear the distinct Team Fortress 2 theme music start (.com/watch?v=5eDGD7kwsxM), and I open my eyes again to be greeted by the 9 now-famous teammates of Reliable Excavation Demolition. Watching the classes get ready for combat in Respawn, I take particular interest in the Medic, the guy who implanted new hearts into RED team so that they can handle ubercharges. I could definitely use an implant like that. No arrhythmia AND eight seconds of invulnerability? Sounds like a good deal to me.

"Hisao, who's your favorite guy out of this group?" Yozora asks quietly, nudging me in the shoulder to get my attention.

"Err, I'm not sure to be honest. I'd have to say Medic. He seems like a cool guy."

"Oh really now? Is it so that he can fix your heart? He certainly looks like he knows his way around a broken heart or two. Very professional." Yozora comments.

"Yeah, well, just wait until they show the actual combat. He isn't so professional than..." I add. Medic can go bloodthirsty when he can. It's actually kinda creepy. I fall silent again, choosing to let the movie explain the characters to Yozora.

As the movie continues, I start to notice that Yozora seems to get more excited by the violent scenes than the scenes with actual emotion in it (which is a lot given the kind of characters in the movie). When a Hunter pounced on Zoey, Yozora's face practically lit up at the gore. I don't say anything though, for fear that Yozora will pounce on me and start shredding my heart out.

This movie really is good. Examining the finer details of the movie, I see that there has been a LOT of effort put into this. Apparently, this 'Valve', the company who created all the series, has pretty strict quality controls in place. And luckily, the theater is near empty, so there's no one who can see Yozora and I.

It's still kind of funny how I'm watching the same movie that brought me and Hanako to the theater together. Except now, replace Hanako with Yozora. Talk about deja vu. In a sense, this time it's more relaxing. No pressure whatsoever.

Suddenly, Yozora leans her body in my direction, resting her head on my shoulder. I can't see her face since she's still facing the screen, so I'm not sure whether it was intentional or not.

Ok, so there's pressure now. Half of me wants to wrap my left arm around her, and the other half wants me to excuse myself and go to the bathroom to get away from this situation. I decide to take the neutral route; stay in my seat, but pretend nothing's happening.

Surprisingly, this strategy works out well. The rest of the movie passes by uneventfully, and soon the two of us find ourselves stretching outside the theater. Glancing at my phone, it's already 7:30. The sky's turned into a dark reddish orange. Looking at Yozora, it appears she's giving me a look that seems like she's waiting for me to do something. I vaguely remember that I'm low on instant ramen and orange juice, so I guess that's a start.

"Do you mind if we stop by the Aura Mart before we head back up the hill? I'm running low on food back in my dorm." I ask.

Yozora's face turns from expectant to haughty.

"Yeah, sure I guess. I could do with a snack too." She responds.

I take the lead, slowly guiding her through the darkening streets to the Aura Mart. After purchasing some food, we leave, making our way to the road that'll take us back to Yamaku. My hands are full thanks to the bags, so Yozora can't grab my hand again. I feel that Emi or Rin is probably lurking around town right now, so this is probably for the best...until i remember that nearly the whole campus saw us when we were going down here.

"Hisao. I dunno if this is a personal question, but...have you ever suffered from a broken heart?" Yozora hesitantly asks, breaking the silence.

"You already know I have a broken heart, Yozora. I really wish Medic was around so he could fix it." I joke, chuckling.

"You know what I mean!" Yozora snarls back, displeased with the joke.

"I know, I know, calm down. It's only a joke" I stick my tongue out. "But that is a fairly personal question..." I drift off. I suppose there's only one instance that could qualify as breaking my heart.

"Well, you don't need to answer it if you don't want to..." Yozora says back, all traces of her previous outburst gone. "I understand."

Well the question is why would she ask such a question to begin with? I suppose I can oblige her, if only barely.

"I suppose I could say I did get inflicted with a case of the broken hearts. But that's not important now. What's important is that I have someone who's helping me mend it."

Yozora barely responds to that statement, in the form of a raised eyebrow and tilted head, although I swear I saw a smile. I thought she might have wanted more specifics. Although now that I think about it, I'm not sure I could supply said details if I wanted to. If such a statement were made pre-Yozora, I would have guaranteed that I'd say that Hanako was fixing it.

But now, I find myself conflicted. Looking over to Yozora, she looks calm and happy, humming Solly's theme and looking up at the clear night sky. While I still certainly like Hanako, there's just something about Yozora that I can't help but feel drawn towards. I'm not exactly sure what it is, but I do know that whatever that trait is, it makes hanging around her a lot more comfortable than being with Hanako. Hanako's nice and all, but one wrong move and she gets rattled. Yozora, on the other hand, would capitalize on said move and use it to her advantage. And the sad thing is, I don't mind that now.

And as much as I don't want to admit it, the fact that an attractive girl like Yozora is choosing to be friends with the likes of me has a great impact on me. Not to discount Hanako's own looks, but Yozora definitely wins appearance wise. I know it's a bit wrong for me to think that way, but as a teenager, I can't help it.

My internal monologue is interrupted by our arrival at the school gates. Now that I think about it, we never really discussed when Yozora had to leave.

"Shouldn't you be heading home soon?" I inquire. I don't want to leave Yozora hanging by herself.

"No, not really. It's still a bit early, I think. And I never did get a tour of the place I really want to see." Yozora responds with a hint of surprise. I hope it didn't seem like I wanted her to leave.

"What place haven't I showed you yet?"

"Your room."

What. If I was a pervert, I'd be thinking that Yozora wants to have sex with me. But I'm not a pervert, so why would she want to check out my room? I guess the only way to find out is if I oblige to her request.

"Ah, of course. Follow me. Although if we see any of the night guards, just pretend you're my cousin or something. Can't have them getting suspicious." I order as we walk through the now deserted and dark park.

"Of course, even in a school for the disabled, the students can't control their hormones. Typical." Yozora chuckles a bit at this revelation.

As we approach the boys' dorm, it appears that my luck has held. Must've arrived when the guards were changing shifts, I suppose. We walk into the thankfully deserted lobby, Yozora observing every inch of the building. I mash the elevator button only for one of the doors to instantly open. Entering the elevator, I press the 11th floor button, and away we go.

Arriving at my floor, I quickly walk to my door and open it, allowing Yozora to enter before going in and locking the door. An interruption by Kenji would have been a game breaker at this point. Placing the bags of food down by the desk, I throw myself at the bed.

"Ahhhhhh. This feels good." I mumble.. Spinning around into a face-up position, I see Yozora giving me an amused look.

"Tired already? We just sat for two and a half hours." Yozora says, looking appalled.

"Remember? Heart condition? Duhhh." I laugh. That was the first joke I made about my heart condition, and it came out so naturally. Of course, if I had continued to run with Emi, maybe I wouldn't be so tired. Oh well, I guess I'll have to find another way to get in better shape.

At that joke, Yozora playfully smacks her hand on her face.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. You look so normal though, Hisao, so excuse me if I forget about your condition."

Yozora briefly reaches down to take out a bar of chocolate out of one of the bags before sitting down on the desk. Ripping open the wrapper, she takes a huge bite of the bar, thoughtfully looking around the room.

"Your room is pretty plain, Hisao. I thought someone like you would have more...stuff hanging on your walls." Yozora comments.

"Oh, well no one ever goes in my room, so why bother decorating it?" I respond.

"So I'm the first person you know that's ever been in your room?" There's a hint of incredulity in Yozora's voice, as if she can't believe it.

"Umm, yeah I guess. Should I have done something special for you?" I ask sarcastically while getting up to get a bag of chips from the bag of food.

"No, Hisao, you don't. You've already done something like that for me already." I hear Yozora say behind my back. Turning around, I see that Yozora has quite the serious face going on right now.

I don't see what I've done that could be considered special in Yozora's eyes, but for the sake of not looking like a dummkopf, I'm not going to ask her what I did.

Sitting back on my bed, I open the bag and start to eat the chips. For a couple of minutes, the only sound in the room is the sound of eating. Suddenly, Yozora's phone rings. Taking it out of her bag, she grimaces once she looks at the screen.

"Who is it?" I ask.

"It's Meat. Gimme a sec."

Yozora opens the phone and places it on her ear. I hear some indistinct chatter come from the phone, then Yozora responds.

"Meat, you already know it's me you're calling. If you have something to say, spit it out or I'm hanging up."

More indistinct chatter comes from the phone, although I think it got a bit louder.

"Did you just call me to talk about eroge? Go away!" Yozora slams her phone shut and puts it back in her bag.

"Eroge? What?" I mouth in disbelief as Yozora devours the rest of her bar.

"Don't ask. Meat's addicted to eroge and galge. Every time I arrive in the clubroom, she's always there playing them on her laptop. It's sickening."

"Stop right there. I don't want to know anything else!" I burst out.. This Meat is becoming weirder and weirder every time I hear about her from Yozora. Assuming what Yozora says is true anyways. I'm not sure whether I want to hear more about her anymore.

Yozora laughs at my outburst, and as I sit on my bed, I notice that this is probably the first real laughter I've caused that isn't from Misha. Lilly is way too composed to laugh, and Hanako...well the girl barely smiles to begin with. But here, everything seems normal. Our day today, what we did, what we're eating, the atmosphere, it feels like I'm living someone else's life for a day before I come back to my crummy life where I'm in a school with other broken people and I might die at any second. With that in mind, I start to laugh along with Yozora as well.

After a few moments, our laughter subsides, and we regain enough composure to finish our snacks.

"So what do you do for entertainment in here? This room doesn't look very...fun." Yozora asks.

I gesture towards the small stack of books on the desk she's sitting on.

"I read, usually. There was nothing to do at the hospital except for reading, and I guess that the habit stuck even when I left."

"I take it that that was your form of escapism?" Yozora infers.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that. I could read for hours and not notice the time until I looked up from whatever book I was reading. Do you read?"

"Yep. Reading's one of the few things a person can do alone. So naturally I took it up early."

Huh, another characteristic that Yozora shares with Hanako. Not that I'm surprised, really. All three of us were practically alone for extended periods of time.

Yozora grabs the topmost book from the stack and inspects the cover.

"Plugged...by Eoin Colfer." Yozora reads out loud. "Is this a good book?"

"In my opinion, yeah it is. Colfer was the guy who wrote my favorite Western series, Artemis Fowl. Plugged is his first attempt at actual adult fiction, since most of the stuff he wrote beforehand was mainly for teens and kids. I have to get around to returning it back to the library."

She opens the book and reads the blurb quickly, before putting it back on the stack.

"It does seem interesting, I'll check it out from the library next time. But what about television, do you have any favorite shows?"

"Let's see..." Resting my head on my hand, I start to think. "I know there's Gundam Wing, Robotech. They're the only mecha anime I'll bother watching."

"Did you know there's mecha porn out there?" Yozora randomly says.

"What? Are you serious?" I question. I do not want to know how robot porn would look like.

"Yeah, I am. One of my club members, Rika, reads a LOT of yaoi mech porn. And that's just one category of porn she reads."

"Just one? So she's a pervert?"

"Yeah, she's a true pervert. She can turn any situation into a dirty one at a blink of an eye. And the funny thing is that she's proud of being a perv." Yozora explains.

"Proud...of being a pervert? Why?" I question.

"Well Rika's believes that her pervertedness makes her interesting. If she wasn't one, than she'd just be another genius girl." She clarifies. "Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that she's a genius. She was specifically recruited into St. Chronicas by the headmaster, and she has her own room to do work in, since she doesn't go to class."

My only response to this is to gape at Yozora. This is an odd club Yozora's running.

"Rika is a shut-in, so it does make sense for her to join the Neighbor's Club. But sometimes she drives me crazy with her dirty mind." Yozora continues.

"I see, must be fun dealing with her." I comment, trying to picture how this Rika would look like. The only thing I can come up with is that she definitely wears glasses.

"You don't even know the half of it."

Sighing, Yozora gets up and walks to the window, gazing into the darkness outside. I lean back on my bed again and find myself face-to-face with my clock, which is currently reading...9:12?

Crap, curfew is in effect! I forgot the curfew time was 9:00 on school nights! I bolt upright from my bed. If any of the guards catch us outside the building, I'd be in big trouble...even more so since I have a girl with me...and...yeah.

"Err Yozora...I'm not sure how to break this to you, but curfew is in effect right now, so..." I mumble awkwardly.

At my revelation, Yozora turns towards me, giving me a deadpan stare.

"Oh really? Kinda early for a curfew, but I wasn't aware that you wanted me to stay the night." Yozora says.

Damn, if I tell her to leave, I'd have to sneak her out of the school AND sneak past the guards again, which is near impossible for me. But if I let her stay, it'll look like I'm trying to make a move or something...why me?

"I blame the amount of fun we've been having. You know how whenever you're having fun, time flies by? This is one of those instances." I say, trying to sound like it wasn't on purpose. "D'you have a change of clothes or something? Last time I checked, I don't have any women's clothing lying around."

I open my closet for emphasis, gesturing Yozora to take a look inside. Her blank face shifts into something peculiar, but I can't put my finger on what it is. She moves over to the closet and peers inside, noting the lack of chick stuff.

"You should have some spare women's clothes lying around, you might shapeshift into one someday," Yozora recommends, losing her composure and bursting into a giggle. "But I'm fine, I have my gym clothes. it should hold me over until tomorrow."

She reaches down to her bag and pulls out a purple tank top and black yoga pants. Draping it over her shoulders, she gives me a mischievous look.

"You know, Hisao, it's impolite to stare at a girl when she's going to change."

And...cue the blush.

"W-w-what? No, I wouldn't do that!" I stammer, sounding a bit like Hanako. I turn to face the wall to hide my face, and for good measure, I force my face against my pillow.

"I didn't know you were going to change right this minute." I say through my pillow.

Another chuckle from Yozora, this time accompanied by the quiet sounds of one taking off their clothes.

"Yeah well, I might as well make myself comfortable." I hear her response through the the pillow.

The perverted part of me (Since all teen guys have a perverted side to them, except maybe Kenji) wants to take a risk sneaking a peek through the pillow. But I won't. I do not want to feel the wrath of Yozora if she noticed. That and it would ruin our friendship, something I'm not willing to risk over a peek.

"Ok, you can stop suffocating yourself now Hisao." Yozora says.

Pulling away from my pillow, I slowly turn towards Yozora, hand shielding my eyes from a non-existent sun in case Yozora is still naked and is trying to mess with me. Damn, all the talk about Yozora's perverted club members is starting to rub off on me.

Looking down at the floor, I raise my eyes slowly, noting her bare feet on the floor. As I move my eyes upward, it looks like she put on the yoga pants, which has the benefit of showing off her lithe legs. Reaching her ab area, I notice the bottom half of her purple tank top.. Satisfied that she's fully clothed, I pull away my hand to see Yozora, who looks quite amused.

"Even with clothes, you're still enjoying my body. You're such a pervert. You'd get along with Meat and Rika very well." She tries to say with disdain, although her less than serious tone ruins the message.

Next time, I'll just turn around suddenly and damn the consequences.

"I dunno, I thought you'd try to pull something on me." I mumble, looking away out of embarrassment.

"Maybe you did want to see me try to pull something, or more accurately, not pull something on." Yozora says teasingly.

Well what guy wouldn't want to see you with clothes off? Her outfit is showing off all of her curves, and I can't seem to pry my eyes away from her.

Gathering my willpower, I finally look away and get up from my bed and go to my closet, pulling out black basketball shorts and a plain white T-shirt.

"I hope I can expect you to respect my privacy when changing as well. An eye for an eye, Yozora. Or rather, clothes for clothes...or something like that." I say, botching the metaphor.

"Hisao, I've already seen you with just a pair of shorts on at the pool." She protests. But all the same, she turns away and faces the wall, away from me.

Now that I think about it, she does have a point. But now that I'm alone with her in my room, I'm feeling a lot more self-conscious about my scar. After looking at the back of her head for couple of seconds, I start to strip off my clothing, removing the short-sleeved uniform shirt and the brown shorts.

Standing in my gray boxers, I spare a glance towards Yozora to see if she's still facing the wall, which she is. I pull on my basketball shorts and shirt.

"Ok Yozora, I finished changing." I tell her as I walk to my desk and take Plugged from the stack.

It's going to be a long night, so maybe some reading will kill the time.

Staring down at the book, I sit back on the bed and try to find the page I ended at. But as soon as I find it, Yozora grabs the book out of my hands and casually tosses it towards my desk, where it lands with a thud.

I look up to see a standing Yozora towering over me with a suggestive look on her face.

"Reading, Hisao?" She says in a provocative tone. "I have something more...fun in mind for you."

I think my brain just broke.

Yozora strides over to her bag and starts to rummage through it. Meanwhile, I'm at a loss for words. I think the implication of what she meant paralyzed my brain. A sudden thunk on my lap knocks me out of stasis. Picking up the object, it looks to be...a pink PSP?

"Err, what's this?" I ask, with a confused look on my face.

"It's a PSP, silly." Yozora replies, sitting back down on my bed with another PSP, although hers is black. "I'm introducing you to Monster Hunter."

Uhh, well this is anticlimactic.

"Jeez, Yozora, you didn't make it sound like we were going to play video games." I mumble.

"Well what else could we do here? You don't have a TV or anything like that." She points out.

I decide not to point out what we could be doing right now. Yozora would probably call me a pervert. Calming down a bit, I let Yozora show me the ropes of Monster Hunter. I know that it's pretty damn popular in Japan, but that's about it. Surprisingly enough, the game turned out to be pretty fun, with a high emphasis on teamwork. Apparently nearly all the guys over at Yozora's school plays this game. After about an hour, I decide to call bedtime, since I still have class tomorrow, unlike Yozora.

"Ehh? It's only ten thirty, Hisao. You're such a kid." Yozora complains, putting the PSPs back in her bag.

"I already told you Yozora, I have school tomorrow still. Jeez." I counter, setting my alarm for about sixish. I head to my closet to pull out a couple of my spare comforters.

"What're you gonna do with those blankets Hisao? It's not that cold." Yozora asks, watching me with a perplexed face.

"I'm letting you have my bunk. We can hardly fit two people on it," I reason out. "And obviously I'm not going to let you sleep on the floor. What kind of gentleman would I be if I did that?"

I set up the comforters into a mattress-esque shape, grab one of the pillows off my bed, and place it at the end of my impromptu bed. Satisfied, I start to kneel down only to see Yozora roll off my bed and onto the floor 'bed'.

"Ooh Hisao, this is pretty comfortable!" Yozora croons, stretching her arms and legs wide. "I think I'll take this bed."

"No, Yozora, you get the actual bed. Don't make me pull you out of there." I threaten, giving the stern parent look at her.

She curls up on the 'bed' and closes her eyes in what is clearly a taunt. I take a deep breath to prepare myself, than I grab Yozora's forearm and attempt to pull her up...only for her to suddenly grab my arm with her free hand and pull me down to the floor with her.

Um...my mind shorts out again as I notice the compromising position I'm in: I'm on top of Yozora with only my hands acting as pillars on the space near Yozora's head keeping me from falling any closer and potentially...yeah.. From here, I can take in every minute detail of Yozora's face, especially those alluring bright purple eyes. Yozora also seems to be mirroring what I'm doing based on her unmoving eyes too. Time seems to stop as we take in each other from this new, way more intimate than normal, angle.

Suddenly, I think of Hanako, and the spell breaks. I forcefully turn away from Yozora and push myself up before I lose my self-control. Don't forget Hisao, Hanako is your main goal right now. Yozora's just a friend.

"Seriously, Yozora, just take my bed." I quietly say while I stand up.

I walk over to the light switch to turn off the ceiling lamp, but I decide to look back at Yozora first to see if she's ready to sleep. She's lying on her side at my bed (about time) facing me, and I swear I could see disappointment in her face. I switch off the lights before the image of her face shatters my mental resistance.

Falling down on my floor bed, I close my eyes and nod off before Yozora can ask me a deep question like all normal friends do when they're sleeping over a friend's room.


	8. Burn One, Take One

**I keep picking the wrong times to watch new sho****ws and stuff, especially with finals coming up ._. Damn it Mirai Nikki, why you so good? Updates are going to become slower while I deal with the backlog of shows and studying**_  
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_I'm running down another endless corridor, Keyblade in hand. I'm not sure how I got this weapon to start with, but it's the only thing that's keeping me alive against these damn Heartless that keep coming out of nowhere. Whoever's watching me is toying with me, since I've been running for hours with no signs of progress._

_Out of nowhere, a massive wooden door comes into view. I slow to a walk and gently press on it to make sure it is real, which it is. I grab the oversized handle and slowly pull it open. A blinding light overtakes me and for a moment, I'm disoriented._

_Slowly opening my eyes, it appears...I'm on a beach? Except the sky is dark gray, but with no clouds. And a glance behind me tells me that there are innumerable large gray rocks going inland. I take a few steps forward when I hear a loud voice cry from behind me._

"_Jawohl!" Medic cries out as he pries himself from one of the rocks._

"_Ah, I thought I'd never get out of that vock. I take it you were teleported here after we killed da Announcer, Herr Nakai?" Medic inquires, examining his syringe gun._

"_Huh? Uh yeah I guess, I thought you died holding off all the Nobodies with Heavy?" I ask back. That was an intense battle._

"_No, I managed to get off an ubercharge in time to kill the rest of the dummkopfs. But suddenly a bright light appeared and next thing I know, I'm on this deserted beach! And Herr Heavy was missing too." Medic explains._

"_Oh, OK. Well, we might as well find an exit." I gesture at Medic to follow me, and we start walking down the beach. We only walk for a few minutes when we both notice a body laying against a rock on the shore. Running towards it, my mouth drops open when I realize it's Hanako, wearing her pink nightgown. The bad thing is that she's unconscious, but she doesn't look harmed at least._

"_Medic, use your medigun on her, see if we can wake up her up." I request._

_He nods and trains the medigun's nozzle on her, the red beam of light flowing into her. He barely has it trained on Hanako for ten seconds before a loud noise and a bright light emits from behind us. Spinning around into a combat stance, I blink in surprise once I see who it is: Yozora, looking oddly mismatched with the giant katana sheathed on the side of her denim jeans._

"_You know what I want, Hisao. All you have to do is forget about her..." Yozora gestures towards the unconscious girl next to me._

_I vigorously shake my head, holding the Keyblade with both hands._

"_I...I can't." I stutter out. "Not for...anyone." The last part comes out stilted, like I didn't really mean it._

_Looks like Yozora sensed my hesitation, as she pulls out her katana and wields it._

"_Let's see if this will change your mind." She says before charging towards us. I immediately rush forward, Keyblade in hand, intending to intercept her. But right when we're about to collide, Yozora suddenly shifts to the right, and as we pass by, she gives me a victorious smirk. I quickly dig my heels in and try to reverse myself, but it's too late. I can only watch in horror as she closes in on Hanako, clearly with the intention to kill. Medic's trying to switch from his medigun to the syringe gun, but Yozora is already upon Hanako, blade held above her. I run as fast as I can to get close enough to Yozora to strike her, but she's already letting her blade fall towards..._

I suddenly jerk up off my floor bed, panting and in a cold sweat. A quick glance at my alarm clock tells me that I'm five minutes early before the alarm woke me up. Would've been five minutes into my dream too long. Looking at Yozora, it seems she's still sleeping, with a rare peaceful look on her face. For a moment, I debate whether to wake her up or not, but I decide to leave her be and prepare for school as much as I can without disturbing her.

Quietly getting up from the floor, I head to my closet and silently extract a clean uniform and a towel from it. After turning off the alarm, I spare one last look at Yozora before I leave my room and head for the showers.

Luckily for me, the bathroom is devoid of Kenji. I don't think I can withstand more assaults on my mind right now. Stripping and getting into the shower, I start to idly think of how messed up that dream was. I mean really, why did I have a Keyblade to begin with? Sure I've played Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2, but that was a long long time ago, back in the days when I was normal. I could at least see how Medic was in it, since he is my favorite character from Left 4 the Half-Fortress.

The disturbing part is when Hanako and Yozora came into it. And try as I might, I couldn't see any correlation between the two and what's happening in real life. I realize that I took about ten minutes pondering over this, so I quickly shampoo and scrub myself and get out of the shower.

After a minute of hasty changing, I'm in my school uniform, looking as normal as can be, for a Yamaku student anyways. I'm about to head out of the bathroom when the door opens, to reveal Kenji walking in.

"Sup, Hisao." He says, draping his towel over one of the racks.

How the hell did he know it was me? He can barely see for crap.

"Umm, hey Kenji," I think about leaving before he can get into one of his rants, but suddenly an event I recalled changes my mind. "I saw you talking to this pale girl with a white braid yesterday, what was that about?"

"What? Oh, that was Rika. I thought she was another new guy like you, so I tried recruiting her for the resistance against the feminist movement. But then she slapped me and walked away." Kenji responds with the air of one talking about what they had for dinner last night.

"Ok..." Is all I can say before I walk out the bathroom. For Kenji, that was remarkably...normal. If he was trying to make some moves on this Rika, I would have laughed my ass off. Speaking of Rika, oh yeah I forgot, Yozora's club has a girl named Rika too. Except she's apparently really really really perverted. Huh.

Entering my room again, Yozora's still sleeping on my bed. Deciding that now's a good time to wake her up, I gently shake her shoulder.

"Yozora, wake up." I whisper. Her eyes finally open and lock onto me on a glare.

"Ugh, give me five more minutes, Hisao." Yozora groans, facing into the pillow.

"Nope! Seriously, I have to leave for class soon." I declare, shaking Yozora more vigorously. She finally relents and gets up from my bed.

"Alright I'm up, damn Hisao you're so annoying sometimes." Yozora mutters. "Not really..." She adds as an afterthought. Standing up, she yawns and stretches her arms and back.

"It sucks that you have class today, we could've done something else today." Yozora notes, striding to her bag to retrieve her uniform.

"Eh, well blame the school, not me," I point out, fiddling with the bag of food in search for any kind of food.. "Anyways, I've got other plans today."

I'm not going to say what those plans actually are though. Or maybe I shouldn't have said that last bit to begin with.

"Other plans? With who?" Yozora inquires.

Crap. Curse my big mouth. Common sense tells me I should lie and say something mundane, but my mouth isn't listening to it.

"I'm going out to the city tonight with Lilly and Hanako." I blurt out. In my mind, I'm bonking my head against a wall for my stupidity. I finally decide to grab something at random from the bag. Turning around, I notice Yozora giving me an angry glare. But upon noticing me watching her, she quickly averts her gaze.

"Sounds lovely." She briefly says, refusing to look at me now. "I'm going to change now, so if you don't mind burying your face in your pillow again..."

I quickly get to my bed and hide my face in the pillow. I again hear the faint sounds of one undressing and dressing.

"Alright I'm done, Hisao. Let us depart." I hear Yozora say. Getting up from my bed, Yozora's back in her school uniform, complete with short dark green skirt and white blouse. Slinging her gymsack behind her, she walks over to the door, looking at me expectantly. Taking her cue, I head to the door and open it, allowing her to go first, as per standard. The trip down to the lobby is silent, neither of us daring to say anything.

Walking out of the boys dorm, I notice Yozora hasn't made another excuse to hold my hand again. I kinda feel disappointed that she hasn't, but then reason kicks in, wondering why I'm disappointed to begin with. Good thing it's early enough that most of the students are still in their dorms. I purposely set my alarm earlier today just for this purpose. Going down the stairs next to Rin's mural, my heart instantly drops.

Shizune and Misha are standing next to the landing, signing animatedly to each other. Why they're standing there in this ungodly hour, I have no idea. I must try to sneak by unnoticed though. The two of us finally get on solid ground, and I pick up my pace slightly, hoping Yozora will get my message and mirror me. Thankfully, she picks up the pace as well, and as we get away from the landing, I become more and more relieved.

"Hisao! Hey, Hisao!" I hear Misha yell from behind me. Oooh, so close. I turn around to see both Shizune and Misha walking towards me. Strangely enough, Shizune has that angry look on her face that I've seen countless times, and Misha's frowning as well.

"You know these two?" Yozora asks quietly, looking perplexed.

"Yeah, they're the Student Council. Brace yourselves." I warn her. I'd like to say more, but the duo are within listening distance now.

"Hey Hisao, what're you doing out so early?" Misha asks. I think the two of them are intentionally ignoring Yozora for now.

"Ehh, y'know, walking towards class. Gotta get a head start for class." I lie. We were walking towards the school gates.

"It doesn't seem like you're going to the campus building," Misha points out. Damn it. "And who's this?" Misha gives Yozora an inquisitive stare, which doesn't faze Yozora at all. "You don't look like a student here! Wahaha~!"

"The name's Yozora. I slept over Hisao's room last night. And your laugh is really annoying." Yozora nonchalantly replies. Double damn it. You could at least choose your words more carefully.

Misha furrows her brow in anger at her response, displeased with Yozora's response. Not surprising, given Yozora's abrasive nature. Once Misha's translation reaches Shizune's eyes (Misha signs everything said in a conversation for Shizune's sake), Shizune's eyes widen for a moment, before furiously signing back her response.

"Having girls sleep over the boys dorm is strictly forbidden!" Misha says in an angry voice. It's odd hearing her angry for once. "And she's not even from our school! Hisao, your immoral actions will have consequences!"

Why me? I figured Shizune would blow up seeing me with another girl. She didn't take my rejection of her invitation to the Student Council lightly.

After Shizune's (through Misha) blowout, Yozora suddenly leans uncomfortably close towards Misha, who instinctively leans back a bit to allow some space between her and Yozora.

"Oh, it wasn't Hisao doing the immoral actions, it was me." Yozora says with a smirk. "And tell your friend this: After we finished up, he'll never want to go to someone like you."

Stepping back slowly, Yozora takes my hand and marches me away from the two girls, who seem dumbstruck by her response, well Shizune becomes dumbstruck once Misha slowly signs Yozora's response to her.. Hell, even I'm struck cold by what Yozora said, if for a different reason.

"Yozora, why did you have to say that?" I ask once we're out of earshot. That was a very dangerous thing to say.

"Hisao, I can tell when a girl is jealous. That blue-haired chick back there was extremely jealous of me right now. So let's just say I decided to pull on some...strings." Yozora replies, giving me a deceptively innocent look.

"But why did you have to go that far? You do know what the word reputation means, right? And how it can be affected by just one sentence?" I counter. I wouldn't put it past Misha and Shizune to spread this little encounter to the campus.

"Actually, I did have to go that far. You picked up your walking pace when those two girls came within viewing distance, which told me that you didn't want to talk to those two girls. And there's really only one reason why a girl would look angry at a guy and a girl walking together. So I did you a favor and shook her off your back. You should be thanking me."

Well, she does have a bit of a point there. If it looks like I'm taken with someone else, Shizune might relent and stop bothering me. Might. Of course, she could just take out her anger on me and conscript me into doing more boring Student Council work. Too late to take it back now though.

"Well, er...Thanks, I guess? She was getting a bit annoying trying to rope me into the Student Council." I say.

"No problem, Hisao. Friends gotta have each others back, right?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

The rest of the walk goes by quickly, and soon we find ourselves at the bus stop.

"So...I guess this is it, huh?" I mumble. I'm finding it harder to say goodbye to Yozora with each encounter. Realizing that she's still holding my hand, I gently pry it loose from her grip.

"Yep, it's this time again." Yozora quietly replies. "It sucks. Sometimes I wish that..." She trails off, looking up to me with those purple eyes. Again, like last night, time halts into a stop, and I know that this is another moment where if I want to make a move, now would be the best time to do it...

Inside my brain, a war wages inside my head whether to finally make an advance of Yozora. The events of last night has persuaded a large part of my conscious that Yozora is a great girl for me, although the other part of my conscious is fighting back. I have to take some sort of action soon, before this moment passes again.

I don't get a chance to decide, as Yozora takes my head and brings it towards hers, our lips meeting. My will drains away as we kiss for the first time and taste each other. After a few seconds, she pulls away from me, a satisfied look on her face. For the third time in a 24 hour timespan, my brain ceases operations.

"That's something to remember me by until next time." Yozora whispers.

Conveniently, the bus pulls in right after Yozora's statement. With a wave, she gets on the bus and it pulls away from the curb. I stay at the stop watching the bus go away. Once it disappears from sight, I snap out of my trance and head off towards school.

"Yozora kissed me." is the only thought that runs through my mind as I walk through the park to the building and enter my classroom. No one is inside the classroom to interrupt my thoughts, so I silently take my seat.

A couple of minutes later, the door squeaks open again, and Hanako timidly walks in. Noticing me, I notice her smile a bit and head over to me. With Hanako's appearance, the full weight of what just happened pierces my heart. Maybe that dream I had last night was a premonition of sorts. I never thought a random encounter with lead to something like this.


	9. Revelation

**On freeze for rest of Finals Week, so expect a delayed update. Thank you for reading.**

"Hey Hisao." Hanako greets me, hovering next to my desk.

"Morning, Hanako." I reply in a cheery tone, hiding my inner turmoil. It's hard to look her in the eye right now.

"You remember our plans for t-today, right?" Hanako twiddles her thumbs at this question, looking a bit nervous.

"Yeah, I still remember. Jazz club tonight with Lilly and Akira." I recite.

"O-ok, that's good," Hanako gives a look of relief at my non-lapse in memory. I wonder why? "Where'd you go yesterday? You disappeared after the bell rang."

Crap! Quick, come up with an excuse Hisao!

"I had to go run back to my dorm to get this library book that was supposed to be returned today." I say the first thing that comes to mind, which sounds surprisingly legitimate.

Hanako becomes slightly crestfallen. I hear her mutter something I don't quite catch before she heads to her desk. More students start to flow in now, some cheerily greeting me as they head to their desks. The prospects of having only a half-day today is clearly affecting their moods. Shizune and Misha arrive at the same time as Mutou today, which is to say that all three of them are late. The two girls are clearly still fuming from their encounter with Yozora, since Misha isn't all giddy and neither of them greet me as they take their seats. I feel a sense of foreboding about this, but it's not like I can do anything about it.

Mutou's draw soon overtakes the whole classroom. Strangely enough, I'm alert and actually taking notes of his lecture. Not that it's necessary since science seems to come naturally to me. Suddenly, Mutou drifts off into the seemingly random topic of percussive maintenance, which sounds suspiciously like randomly hitting an object with a wrench to get stuff to build. I guess he's watched Left 4 the Half-Fortress too.

"So the possibility of building machines that can heal wounds just by standing next to it isn't completely far-fetched. The scientists over at Valve based the machines from Team Fortress 2 from actual technology that they're developing..." Mutou continues, drawing a hasty picture of what's supposed to be a Dispenser.

Poke. I feel a pen dig into my right shoulder. Sighing, I turn to Misha, who grins and hands me a note. I spare a glance back at Mutou, who's busy writing complicated formulas next to the Dispenser diagram. While this isn't completely related to chemistry or physics, I have a feeling this will be on the test. Giving Misha a perplexed look, I quickly take the note before Mutou turns around. Opening it quietly, I read the note.

"Thought you'd get back at me? Well you may have won the battle, but I have the clutch card."

The handwriting's definitely Shizune's, but I'm not getting the message. What battle...? Oh yeah, the whole Yozora thing. In retrospect, it was pretty satisfying seeing those two pissed off. I remember that prank Shizune pulled on me a week-ish ago. Meh, now I wish I remembered this sooner, would've made the whole revenge feeling feel a lot better. So if that was the battle I won (Pissing off Shizune and Misha), what's this clutch card Shizune's talking about? I don't like what this note indicates. Sounds like Shizune's going to play it soon.

I quietly fold the note and tuck it somewhere in my notebook. Looking to my left, Shizune is noiselessly signing to Misham ma mischievous look on her face. Whatever this is, it can't be good.

I spend the rest of the morning period pondering over whatever this card Shizune's going to use. The lunch bell rings, and I head to the tea room with Hanako, where Lilly's waiting with a steaming teapot and three cups.

"So Hisao, Hanako, you two ready for tonight?" Lilly asks once we get settled in.

"I g-guess, I have my clothes all picked out." Hanako replies.

It takes me slightly more time to come up with a response. I know this outing will be a good chance to get closer to Hanako, and I suppose Lilly and Akira as well. But the thought of Yozora's kiss suddenly makes me mentally cringe with guilt. Nevertheless, I force a grin.

"Yeah, I'm ready for tonight as well. It'll be good to be in the city again with the four of us."

"That's good to hear. The rendezvous point will be my room at about...six P.M.? That should be enough time." Lilly declares.

With that confirmation, the three of us finish up our lunch and clean up, departing for our respective classrooms at the sound of the bell. I'm hoping that the rest of the school day will go by without a hitch. I don't want anyone, specifically Shizune and Misha, spoiling my mood for tonight. I nervously keep tabs on the two, watching for anything out of the ordinary. When the bell rings, I give a sigh of relief as I pack my things. Looking at Hanako, I'm about to beckon her over so we can walk to the dorms together when I notice something out of the ordinary.

Misha and Shizune stride up to Hanako in unison, Misha saying something indeterminate to Hanako. I quietly make my way to the door, hoping Misha doesn't yell at me to come over as well. As much as I want to help Hanako, embarrassing me in front of her seems like a tactic the Student Council would pull on me. After all, nearly every student in the school knows about the rumor that Hanako and I went on a date, something neither of us has gotten around to confirming nor denying...

As soon as I make it into the hallway, I breath a sigh of relief before heading to my dorms. Hopefully, they won't cause too much of a fuss to Hanako. I did want to hang out with her for a bit before getting ready for the jazz club, but I suppose I can wait the time out.

The trip to the dorms is surprisingly short, and I soon find myself entering my room. I take off my dress shirt, leaving only my white undershirt. Ehh, might as well take off my pants. Taking those off as well, I'm left in my undergarments. Grabbing Plugged from the desk, I lay back in my bed and zone out.

Turning the last page of the novel, I place the book back on the desk and look at the clock...5:30? Woah, I took longer with the book than I expected. I hurriedly rush to my closet, trying to figure out the best ensemble when going to a Jazz club. I decide to go with a light blue polo and dark denim jeans. I doubt it's going to be too formal, or Lilly would've specified. After taking my phone from my uniform pants, I rush over to Lilly's dorm.

When I get to Lilly's door, I hesitate for a moment before knocking. I'm about to hang out with Lilly and Hanako again, which will have a very different feeling after hanging out with Yozora twice beforehand. Gritting my teeth, I knock.

"Hey, Lilly, it's me, Hisao."

I hear the sounds of someone shuffling things around and the door unlocking.

"Yeah, just come in, Hisao." I hear Lilly say.

Taking her cue, I open the door to see Lilly standing in front of the door waiting for me. She's wearing the same outfit that she used when we went gift shopping for Hanako, not that it's bad. I haven't seen her wear that in a while, so I'm not going to say anything.

"Where's Hanako?" I ask, noting the distinct lack of her in the room.

"Oh, she had to go get something from her room. We're meeting up with Akira at the front gates, where she'll pick us up with her car." Lilly responds.

Behind me, I hear the sounds of a door opening and closing, and someone approaching us.

"I'm back, Lilly! I just have to..." Hanako stops talking suddenly. Turning around, I see Hanako, also in the same getup that she wore in our movie night, albeit with a dark purple hat replacing the black one. Judging from her face, she didn't think I'd be here yet.

"Hey, H-Hisao..." Hanako murmurs, looking away. That's weird of her. She's acting like we're meeting for the first time again. Lilly doesn't notice her actions though, or she'd know something is wrong.

"Alright then, let's head for the gates." Lilly orders. Taking her place on Hanako's shoulder, we head down to the front gates, where Akira's waiting, leaning against her red sedan.

"Hey guys. Let's hurry up before all the good seats get taken!" Akira urges, prodding us to the car.

"Jeez, are you that much in a rush Akira?" I ask, slightly irritated by her pushing.

"Yes, I am Hisao. Now be quiet and get in!"

We rush inside the car at her command, and she speeds off into the road. Lilly's sitting in the front passenger seat, and Hanako and I are in the back together. Although from the smirk I can see on Akira's face from the rear-view mirror, it seems like it was on purpose. Leaning back on the car seat, I sense a vibration coming from Hanako. It looks like she's...shaking? I'm not sure what happened back in the classroom, but I have a feeling it's what causing Hanako's strange behavior. Well, strange for being around friends. In the small talk we throw around, she talks just fine with Lilly and Akira, but when I address Hanako, she freezes up a bit and starts stuttering. Damn it Shizune, what did you say to her?

Arriving at the city, it takes Akira only a few minutes to find a parking spot. Normally, I would take notice of the shining lights of the city at night, but I find myself worrying about Hanako and whatever Shizune and Misha said to them. As soon as Akira parks the car, I quickly get out and rush over to Hanako's door in an impulse of chivalry, opening it for her.

"Hanako." I say, offering my hand to her. She mutters something, but slowly takes my hand with her right hand, the partially scarred one. As soon as I feel her hand, I can already tell the differences between Yozora and Hanako's hand. Hanako's is still pretty soft (not as soft as Yozora's), and I can feel a slightly rough patch that must be scar tissue. Akira, who's been watching this act of chivalry, gives me a knowing look as she assists Lilly.

"Alright, just follow me guys. And don't get lost!" Akira orders. I obediently fall in line behind her, letting loose my grip on Hanako. But she unexpectedly tightens her grip and follows me as well. I turn to her, but she's looking down and away from me, so I have no idea what's going on in her mind right now. She's just clutching my hand as if it were her only lifeline to this world. I don't mind it though, it reminds of someone...

After following Akira for a minute, she turns into a stairwell that leads down into what looks like a basement of sorts. But people are coming in and out of the stairs too, and they all look fairly high-class, so it doesn't look like this place is a dump. I slowly go down the stairs, taking care not to accidentally push the people leaving the club.

Hanako and I follow Akira and Lilly through the door, and I'm stunned by what I see. There's an old-fashioned stage on the far end of the room, not like a theater stage, but small enough so that small bands could comfortably play on it. Off to the side, there's a couple of pool tables, and opposite the pool tables sits a bar, complete with bar tender. In the middle are various kinds of tables, ranging from circular ones to booths near the wall. The lighting isn't too bright nor too dark, just enough to set the mood that the light jazz music emanating from the speakers is creating.

"So, what do you think?" Akira inquires, looking at Hanako and I expectantly.

"It looks a-amazing. It does bring a mood of the past." Hanako replies.

"Yeah, it does. Very class." I supply.

We take some seats at the bar, although Hanako and I look out of place since we're a bit younger than Lilly. Lilly can pull off being 20 very easily, with her mature appearance. But Hanako and I don't, unfortunately. Looks like Akira's noticed this as well, as she pokes me and gestures to the pool table.

"You go do your thing with Hanako. We'll be fine." Akira whispers so neither Lilly nor Hanako will hear it.

Feels kinda odd having Akira play matchmaker for us. Someone is definitely pulling on our strings from backstage. Although this would be a good opportunity to determine why Hanako was acting all weird before.

"Hey, Hanako, you want to try the pool tables?" I ask, motioning towards the tables on the side.

"Sure, I haven't had a chance to play pool in a while." She confirms, finally looking me in the eye as she gets off the bar stool.

We make our way to the pool table, where I rack up the pool balls and grab two cues for Hanao and I. As I rub some chalk on the cue tip, Hanako interrupts the silence.

"So Hisao..." I turn away from the cue tip to glance at Hanako, who's uncomfortably shifting around. "Um...can I ask you a question?"

"Of course you can, Hanako. I don't mind." I mindlessly reply. Heading over to the cue ball to break, I start to line up my shot.

"Well...who's Y-Yozora and why was she s-sleeping overnight in your room last night?" She asks right as I move to strike the ball.

What? The question is so random and disturbing that my aim is off, hitting the right side of the triangle of balls. Of course, the balls don't scatter as well as I'd like, but I'm not worried about that right now. Damn it, that must've been what Shizune meant by the clutch card! She already figured out that I liked Hanako, and is going out of her way to ruin it for me!

While my mind is reeling internally, externally I radiate calm, or at least I hope I am. The air around us has changed from friendly to cold in an instant. Looking at Hanako, she doesn't look mad (not that I've ever seen her mad to begin with), but she just has a sad expression on her face, head slightly tilted waiting for my response.

To tell the truth or lie? That is the question that has to be answered in five seconds or less. Deciding on one, I upright myself from leaning over the pool table and give my answer.

"She's a friend of mine. She came over Yamaku the day before, but she ended up staying too long, so she had to stay over." I honestly reply. As long as she doesn't tread on the one land mine, I can handle whatever Hanako throws at me.

Hanako only nods at my answer, walking over to the cue ball and lining up a shot. With poise, she seamlessly knocks a striped ball into a hole. I probably already know the answer to this, but I might as well ask.

"How'd you find out?" I ask, watching her shift positions to try to land another ball.

"I have my sources." She replies in a deadpan voice. Can't tell if she's bluffing or not though. Can't imagine who else could've told Hanako about Yozora.

Hanako shoots the cue ball, but it hits the striped ball at the wrong angle so it bounces off the wall next to the hole. I head to the cue ball to line up my shot.

Looking down at the pool table, I can only hear Hanako's next question. "Why did you keep her a secret from m-me?"

I freeze once I hear it. I've never imagined Hanako to be so upfront about anything, especially a situation like this.

"Well y'know how bad rumors can get in our school, so I figured if I kept her on the inconspicuous side, no one would notice and make a big deal out of it." I rationalize, sinking one of the solid balls in a corner pocket.

Shifting around the table once more, it looks like my answer was not the best one, according to Hanako's distraught face. She's slowly spinning the pool cue like a baton, giving me a haunting look. I look away before my memory can memorize that face.

"You couldn't have told me about her yourself?" Hanako quietly asks. "Since our movie date, you haven't made a single effort to do something with me again. Why, Hisao...w-why?" Her voice starts to break with those last few words.

I focus down on the ball, refusing to look at Hanako. I don't think I can right now. Looks like my lying, or at least the omission of truth, is coming back to bite me right now. All I can do now is tell the truth and hope for the best.

"Well...I guess I was busy with Yozora. But isn't that what friends do, hang out with each other?" I shoot back, trying to reason with her. Carefully aiming the cue ball, I manage to land another solid ball into a pocket. I don't want to miss, or I'll have to look up from the table.

"You could have told that to me, instead of making up excuses..." Hanako murmurs as I slowly walk to a different side of the table. Zooming in on the cue ball, I realize with a sinking feeling that there's no obvious straight shot I can shoot for. And I'm not one of those guys who can make those complex shots. I grit my teeth and aim at one of the striped balls, knocking it so it'll be harder for Hanako to sink it.

Steeling myself, I look up at Hanako again. She seems to have calmed down a bit, but upon closer inspection, I spy a small tear go down her face. Huh? Is she really making this such a big deal for herself?

"Well I didn't know how you'd react! Especially since she..." I blurt out unexpectedly, somehow stopping my tongue once I realize what I was going to say next.

"Looked like me?" Hanako bitterly finishes my sentence.

My mental capacity to respond crumbles at her statement, and I find myself looking away out of shame. Even if Hanako had brought this up, I wouldn't be all guilty about this if Yozora hadn't...kissed me. Damn it Yozora! I have to think of something fast to salvage this, or the time I've spent with Hanako will have been for naught!


	10. Desperate Measures

**Woo another chapter done. I'm thinking of making the next chapter two to three times as long, y'know to get an arc out of the way in one go. So yeah, next update will take a week or two. Will take a couple days off this to work on my other crossovers.**

"Hanako..." is the only word I can get out while marshalling my thoughts. "What does that have to do with anything?" I manage to shoot out.

Sure, I noticed the similarities between the two, but why bring it up here?

"Well, I don't know..." Hanako quietly murmurs, her previous bitterness now replaced with sadness. "I thought you were..." Hanako quickly looks back to Akira and Lilly, who are busy chatting away at the bar. "Replacing me." She quietly finishes.

Ohh, now it's all starting to come together now. Once Hanako said it, I realize it'd be hard to refute her claim. When I first met Yozora, I considered her a more attractive version of Hanako, as in no scars. The more I hung out with her, the more I noticed the similarities between the two...

"I'm not...replacing..." I really want to say 'you', but I can't put any conviction in it. Right now, my soul has a clear glass pane for Hanako to see into.

Our pool game is completely forgotten at this point, both pool cues leaning against the table. I'm awkwardly shifting around, trying to say what I don't really mean. I'm so busy trying to come up with a response that I don't notice Hanako coming up to me, who then grabs my shoulders and pushes me against the wall.

"What's going o-" I say in surprise before Hanako leans forward and shuts me up, although not in the way one would expect. It takes me a moment to realize that we're actually kissing in the middle (side, to be more precise) of a jazz club. I'm too shocked to resist if I wanted to, but Hanako pulls back before I can come to a decision on that, looking down at the floor.

"...my first..." I hear her mutter as she attempts to recompose herself. From what I can see of her face, she's blushing heavily, not that I can blame her. I can already feel the red on my cheeks from that encounter. Thankfully, there was no one else in the vicinity, and it's dark enough so that no one outside the pool area could see us. If they could, I doubt Hanako would've made a move like that.

"Er...what was that for?" I inquire. This was an unexpected turn of events. She doesn't respond though, as she pushes the remaining balls into random pockets before rushing away towards Akira and Lilly. I can only gape at her before coming to my senses and following her as well.

Hanako takes a seat on the far end of the bar, next to Lilly. I'd like to sit next to her, but Hanako's next to the wall, so that's out of the question. Mentally moping, I take a stool next to Akira, who seems to be talking about someone I recognize to Lilly.

"...he's kind of like the Engineer, they're both the only sane men in their team..." Akira says.

"Erm...what?" I interrupt. Akira gives me a look of surprise as she turns to me.

"Heyy, Hisao! I was wondering when you'd finish up! I was just comparing my boyfriend to the Engineer, from Left 4 The Half-Fortress. Have you seen that movie?"

"Yeah, actually. Hanako and I watched it together a couple of weeks ago."

Akira gives me a sly look at that.

"Oh, looks like Hisao and Hanako are growing up!" Akira giggles. I sigh at her ignorance of my situation right now, not that I can blame her or anything.

"Is there any way you can get us a drink drink, Akira? I want to try it." I don't add the part where I want to forget what happened in the past few minutes.

"Oh my, Hisao, I didn't know you were an alcoholic!" Lilly notes from besides Akira.

"How can I be an alcoholic if I've never drank...if I've only drank once?"

"Ahh, got me there, Hisao. I was only joking with you." Lilly responds with a smile.

"Well, it's not like I can get you a drink here in the open, Hisao. I'll make you an offer though, although it'll have to wait 'til we're back in the car." Akira adds.

"Ok that'll work. What'd you think of Left 4 The Half-Fortress though, Akira?" I ask.

"It was a pretty good movie, at least I think so anyways. It was mainly developed for a Western audience, so I guess it's appealing to the half-Scottish side of me." Akira drains the rest of her beer.

"Yeah, you'd make a pretty good Demoman. You're both alcoholics." I observe.

"Unfortunately, I don't have any demolitions experience, nor the missing eyeball, and I'm partially Japanese, not full Scottish. I think I'll stick with the drinking bit."

"Just make sure you're not drunk enough to impair your ability to drive. I'd like to get home in one piece, thank you very much." I shoot.

While our conversation was taking place, I notice Hanako whisper something to Lilly, than both of them getting off their barstools and walking until they were out of sight. Akira didn't seem to have noticed though.

"Don't worry Hisao," Akira waves a hand nonchalantly. "I'm not stupid enough to do something like that. I mean sure, I gave Hanako those bottles of wine for her birthday, but you guys were in a safe enclosed space."

"True..." Is all I can say to this. It appears I'm at a loss for words today.

Akira looks around and finally notices that Hanako and Lilly are MIA.

"Oyy, Hisao. You know where those two went?" Akira inquires.

"Ehh, I saw Hanako whisper something to Lilly, than they went off somewhere. Probably discussing something private."

"Huh, I guess we shouldn't interrupt them for now. We still have about 30 minutes or so to kill. If you want a drink, now would be the best time to get one."

"Didn't you just say you couldn't get me a drink out in the open though?"

"I really meant that I couldn't get you a drink with Hanako around. From what Lilly's told me, she's a real lightweight with the liquor, can't risk her getting her hands on any alcohol from anyone, especially you, Hisao." Akira explains.

I've got to give Akira credit, she's pretty thoughtful when it comes to Hanako. And me, now that I think about it. Not many people would go out of their way to procure alcoholic drinks for their sister's friend. Unless she has an ulterior motive of sorts, which I doubt.

"Yeah, it was pretty bad," I respond, recalling that awkward scene trying to put Hanako into bed. "But seriously, you can get me something here?"

"As long as you don't draw attention to yourself, yeah. You're what? 17 or so? You'll look mature enough under these lights. And I'm the one ordering to begin with. Just don't tell Lilly or Hanako."

"Roger that. I'm not that dense. Anyways, what's a good beginner drink for a scrub like me?"

Akira takes a menu from one of the stands on the bar, poring over it.

"Hmm, well wine coolers seem to be all the rage with teens in America. At least, that's what one of my foreign co-workers told me. Tastes good (for an alcoholic beverage, mind you), and with its low alcoholic content, you won't be noticeably drunk to Lilly and Hanako. Unless you're more of a lightweight than her..."

She hands me the menu, already turned to the list of wine coolers. Looking at the list, one particular brand catches my eye.

"Mike's...Hard...Lemonade...?" I slowly read out. Reading English is slightly easier than speaking it, at least to me anyways. Akira grabs the menu again and looks over at the list of flavors.

"Gotta say, you know how to pick 'em. Had these a couple of times, the original flavor's always the best. You want one?" Akira asks with a smile.

"Yeah, sure." I don't know why I have the sudden urge to consume alcohol, other than the fact that it's related to that incident where Hanako...kissed me. Maybe some of the stuff will boost my courage when I confront Hanako about it later. At least it'll only affect my liver, not my heart. Hehe.

Akira calls over the bartender and asks for a Hard Lemonade. The bartender then disappears under the bar for a moment, then emerges with a glass bottle containing a white liquid, the label screaming out that it's 'Mike's Hard Lemonade'. He slams it down into the bar, where Akira shells over a few 100 yen coins.

"Here ya go, Hisao. On the house." Akira declares, opening the bottle and handing it to me.

"Thanks Akira, I appreciate this." I cautiously take a sip of the stuff. Surprisingly, it does taste good, for an alcoholic drink anyways. But then again, I guess there has to be something to get people to start drinking.

"Huh, it's not bad." I comment, feeling good enough to take a swig of the stuff.

"What'd I tell you, eh? Same stuff teens be drinking in America. I'd have given you a beer, but beer is more of an acquired taste. It's not something everyone likes on their first try." Akira responds, watching me intently.

"Apparently, I guess. You know, you're a nice person, Akira." I point out.

"So are you, Hisao. You've been doing a lot for Hanako lately. I figured its worth buying you a drink over it. She's kinda like a second sister to me, after being around her from Lilly for this long. It's nice to see her happy."

"Hanako..." I murmur. I take another swig of the wine cooler, trying to decipher the situation. At the very least, I now know that Hanako likes me...as more than a friend at any rate. But somewhere in the time that I've known Yozora, she must've found out somehow about us...Hmm.

"Oy, Hisao you there?" Akira waves a hand in front of my face.

"Uhh yeah I'm still here. What was that for?"

"You were spacing out there for a bit. Thought you had one of the defective coolers for a second there." Akira replies, a playful smile on her face.

"It's nothing, just thinking of stuff." I give a neutral response, hoping to discourage Akira from digging deeper.

"Oh really now? What kind of stuff?" She inquires. Of course.

"Stuff that doesn't concern you." I respond with a blunt tone. It's not that I don't like Akira, it's just I'm dealing with sensitive information, and I'd rather keep it to myself if possible.

Akira seems unfazed by my hostility and continues to plow on.

"So I'm guessing you're thinking about Hanako, am I right?"

Close, but she's only half of what's in my mind right now. The other half is being occupied by Yozora, more specifically how the hell did Hanako find out about Yozora? I could use some help right now, but I don't think Akira can help me right now.

"No, it's not about her. I was thinking about Yo-...someone." I nearly blurt out Yozora before replacing it with the vague term. Crap, that was close.

"Yo...? You mind finishing that for me?" Akira calls out, a dangerous smirk on her face.

Fuuuuuuuuuu- I guess it doesn't matter how Hanako found out now; she knows, and now I have to go to damage control mode. But first...

"Really, it's no one," I insist. Noticing Lilly and Hanako walking back towards us, I hurriedly drain what's left of the cooler and quickly place the bottle on the floor next to the wall. "Hey look, they're back." I tell Akira. She spins around to greet the duo.

"Hey Lilly, Hanako. You guys done here? I've got to get you back to Yamaku before curfew." Akira asks.

"I do believe we are done here. I'm feeling a bit tired. What about you, Hisao?"

"I'm feeling drained too. Let's head back."

Reaching this consensus, our group departs the jazz club. Walking a little bit behind the three girls, I wonder of what Lilly and Hanako were up to while I was preoccupied with Hanako. I mean, it's no coincidence Hanako kisses me, then disappears with her best friend. Knowing Hanako, she probably asked for advice.

The drive back is pretty quiet. I notice signs of Lilly starting to doze off on the front passenger seat. Meanwhile, Hanako's sitting silently on her side of the rear passenger seat, staring out the window. Akira's probably noticed the general mood, as she keeps her mouth shut for the entirety of the trip. It seems I'm the only one capable of talking right now, yet I don't want to break the silence. When we finally pull up at the gates, I'm actually relieved because it's an opportunity to get away from the awkwardness in the car..

After parking the car, our ragtag group heads out towards the dorm buildings. It's a silent walk through the darkness of night, the sounds of cicadas buzzing the only other companion in the walk. Once we arrive at the area near the two dorm buildings, Hanako suddenly turns to me.

"Umm, H-Hisao...can I walk you up to your room?" Hanako asks quietly, although it's loud enough for the other two to hear.

Again, my mouth opens in surprise. I wonder if someone replaced Hanako with an alternate version that's way more forward than usual...oh wait Yozora's already filling that spot.

Akira gives me another sly look over from where she's standing. Lilly appears to be smiling though. Must be something they've planned out beforehand. Alright, time to see what Hanako has in store for me.

"Yeah sure." As soon as I say that, my hand automatically stretches out. Maybe I've been spending too much time around Yozora. Surprisingly enough, Hanako slowly reaches out and interlaces her fingers in mine.

"Isn't it supposed to be the guy who asks that though?" I joke in an attempt to lighten the mood a bit.

"Don't worry about us, you guys. I'm falling to sleep as soon as I lay down on my bed." Lilly assures us.

"Yeah, I'm pretty beat as well. Just make sure to use protection!" Akira jests. In a show of strength, I don't blush or flinch at her remark.

Hand in hand, we go our separate ways; Lilly and Akira to the girls dorm, and Hanako and I to the boys dorm. Since this is Hanako's play at the moment, I decide to stay silent until she speaks up. The silence permeates the area around the two of us as we walk through the lobby doors and into the elevator landing. Mashing the up button, one of the doors immediately opens and we walk in the elevator. There's no one inside, but that's to be expected. Unless it's Kenji.

The ride up is equally silent, and as the doors open to the 11th floor and we walk towards my room, I think Hanako won't do anything at all. As soon as we arrive at my door, I try to release my right hand from Hanako's grasp to get my room key, which is inconveniently in my right-hand pocket. Hanako refuses to let go though.

"Hisao...wait." Hanako murmurs, looking up to me. Her face displays hesitancy, but she continues. "C-can I ask you something?"

"Of course, Hanako. What is it?" I gently say

"Do...you...like...me?" She slowly ekes out the question, her voice becoming softer with each word until I actually have to move my head closer to hear her.

"Yes...Hanako I do." I reply. I know that much, I like Hanako as a friend and even more than that...but if only it was that simple.

Hanako's mouth changes from a slight frown to a small smile, and finally releases my hand. Instead of kissing me again (which I was expecting), she wordlessly strides to the elevator and presses the down button. Taking this as my cue, I extract my room key and enter my room.

Changing into a clean set of boxers and a white undershirt, I mentally go through the events of the night. One scene naturally stands out from the rest: the part where Hanako shoved me into a wall and kissed me. As I settle down in bed and try to sleep, I come up with a conclusion.

Yozora tasted sweeter.


	11. Eccentricities

**Well, I posted this on KS's forums and I totally forgot to upload it here. My bad. Anyways, we're nearing the end, and I think I'm going to make two endings. But what you think is canon is up to you :)**

Ugh, mornings are never kind to me. Slamming the snooze button, I take a moment to determine what day it is...Sunday! It's Sunday! Now what happened last night? Oh yeah, Hanako kissed me...WHAT?

With that thought, I bolt into an upright position on my bed. Even though it's been hours since it happened, that event still managed to surprise me now. Although I think the reason behind the kiss was more disturbing: Hanako thought she was being replaced by Yozora.

As I get out of bed, I think on the precarious situation I'm in right now. In a short summary of this weekend: Yozora goes to Yamaku, we hang out, she ends up sleeping over and find ourselves in a dangerous position before I regain self control. Next day, Shizune and Misha spot Yozora and I as I attempt to escort her out, Yozora pisses off Shizune, then she kisses me. Last night, I go to a jazz bar, Hanako questions me about Yozora, she kisses me too as well. Before bidding me goodbye, she asks whether I like her as more than a friend, which I respond to in the positive.

OK, I think I want to have a few words with the Hisao of yesterday and the day before that. This is becoming one giant clusterfuck, and I'm in the middle of everything. At least it's Sunday, no obligations, just me time. I can use this time to catch up on my reading, recuperate from the past two days, and plan out whatever strategy I might need for the upcoming future.

Grabbing a random book from the pile on my desk, I throw myself back on my bed and start to read. This distraction only lasts me about 20 minutes before I put the book back on the desk in frustration.

Goddamn, what should I do? On one hand, I do like Hanako, a lot. She's shy and introverted, but that just makes getting close to her the more valuable and heartening to me. But Yozora...I don't know what I'm supposed to feel about her right now. I mean sure, she kissed me. But it could've been out of insecurity, or boredom, or a million other reasons that doesn't involve her liking me.

I realize I've been pacing my room for the past five minutes. Deciding that it'd be better for me to at least pace the track, I throw on some gym clothes before heading down to the track. Heading out the dorm, it looks like Kenji won't interrupt me again today. Come to think of it, I've been seeing less and less of him now. Maybe he's just becoming more paranoid and staying in his room. Or he could be performing more missions to sabotage the feminists' operations.

The thought of Kenji in a ghillie suit and crawling around a random place like Chernobyl gives me a good chuckle. Emerging from the dorm lobby into the outdoors, I take a moment to appreciate the clean air of Yamaku.

As I approach the track, I idly wonder whether Emi will be there to berate me about my lack of exercise. Luckily for my eardrums, she's nowhere to be found. After stretching a bit. I start my walk around the track. As ideas start to bounce around my brain, my pace starts to increase until I find myself at a power walking pace. Huh. I should get out more often to do stuff like this.

Putting my legs on autopilot, I wonder how I should deal with Yozora...If I misinterpreted her actions and do something unbecoming, I can kiss my friendship with her goodbye. And there's no way in hell I'd let that happen, not even for Lilly or Akira or Hanako even. I guess my primary objective right now should be to decipher Yozora actions towards me, see if she actually likes me or something like that. Although I do find it hard to believe that a cold person like her can have emotions like 'love', and all the other lesser emotions before that.

Well that's what I would be thinking, but our last encounter shows off Yozora more...sensitive? I think that's the word I'd use anyways. Well, her more sensitive side. Not that I'd fall for such trickery (if it is trickery) so easily. I'm pretty sure Yozora would berate me as well.

Speaking of Yozora, I wonder if I should set up some plans with her this week? It's only been two days since her sleepover here, but I want to see her again, awkwardness from the kiss aside. I should play it safe and try texting her first, gauge her reaction and whatnot.

Emboldened by my strategy, I break off from the track's path and head back to the dorms to grab my phone. When I exit the track, it looks like I did about eight laps, and I've built up a bit of a sweat. Yep, should definitely do this more often. I actually feel a lot better after the walk, both mentally and physically. Or maybe the mentally part is because I fulfilled my objective of figuring out what to do next while I walked around the track. Ah well.

Back in my dorm room, I fumble around my room looking for my phone for a good five minutes before finding it in the depths of my bag. Selecting Yozora's number, I send her a text.

"Good morning, Yozora. How's yer Sunday treating you?"

I flop down on my bed, leaving the phone on vibrate and placing it on the desk. I don't want to get my hopes too high that she'll respond quickly...*pfftpfft* The sound of the phone vibrating reaches my ears. I guess I didn't place much faith in Yozora's ability to respond to texts. Getting up from my bed, I get my phone and lie back down on my bed.

"Hey Hisao. My Sunday is just fine and dandy!" Yozora's message read. She must think I'm dense.

"And by that you mean your Sunday sucks right now, am I right? Even through text, your sarcasm is obvious." I reply back.

It's easy to imagine Yozora saying that in her usual sarcastic tone. Imagining her saying all sorts of assholey comments, I almost don't notice the phone go off again.

"Damn, got me there. There's nothing to do right now -.-"

"Same here, I'm bored here meself. About to head to the library to get some books."

"Always the bookworm, aren't you? You should get out more often."

I furrow my brow in mock annoyance upon reading this text. Really, an anti-socialite telling me I should get out more often? I should probably head over to the library like I said though, got a stack of books I need to return. I quickly reply back to Yozora's text.

"You should try taking your own advice. What about going out with Meat or something?"

Leaving it at that, I deposit the stack of books into my bookbag and rush out the dorms. Since it's a free day, the staff can't reprimand me for not wearing my uniform inside of the main campus. As I lug the bag to the campus building, I check on my phone to see if Yozora responded, which she has.

"How about...no? If you met her, you'd understand why."

Based on what Yozora says about Meat, she seems to be an interesting/weird person. I'd like to meet her myself. I wonder what she'll say back though? I take a small break at the hallway to the library to respond.

"Well maybe I should meet her? If I remember correctly, you said you'd take me to one of your club meetings. And if I didn't say that, well I still want to go check out your club :)"

Entering the library, the first thing I notice is the lack of a certain jittery librarian. Shrugging, I take out my stack of books and push them through the Book Return slot. Now to go find more books to bring back to my room.

Wandering the aisles of bookshelves, I decide to check out the usual beanbag corner that Hanako reads at. Rounding the corner, it appears that she is...not there. The beanbag corner is fully devoid of any Hanako-related life, or human life for that matter. Feeling my phone vibrate yet again, I plop myself down on Hanako's beanbag, the light-blue one and take out my phone.

"Actually I was going to get to that. If you have time on Saturday, I can meet up with you at the city and lead you to St. Chronicas to meet the club. They don't believe that I actually made a friend."

Ahh yes, the Neighbors Club. Their noble objective is to make friends, and judging from Yozora's stories, they could certainly use a few. This should prove interesting. But first, time for a little trolling...

"You didn't make a friend though...? :P"

I add the tongue-sticking-out face to assure Yozora it's a joke. That would be a dick move if I said it like that. That's what I hate about texting, there's no other cues besides the text to tell you what the sender's intentions really were. Unless you know the person well.

Getting up from the beanbag, I start to idly take books from the bookshelves, looking more for sequels to books I've already read. After a few minutes, I have a decent stack of books piled in my arms. Walking over to the check-out desk, I see Yuuko, who's decided to finally show up. Something looks different about her though...

"Hey Yuuko, when did you change your hair?" I ask. Instead of just letting her hair down as usual, Yuuko tied up her hair into a ponytail.

"I, uh, decided to try out a ponytail for a while. A friend of mine over at Fumizuki Gakuen recommended it, said I'd look great with one." Yuuko nervously replies. It looks like she doesn't have much self-confidence in her new hair, not that she ever had much confidence to begin with.

"Don't worry, Yuuko, whoever this friend is, they've got a good eye for hairstyles." I compliment. My hair's starting to get a bit longer, so I might do something with my hair soon.

"T-Thank you, Hisao," Yuuko stammers. "I-I've been getting compliments all day, but I wasn't sure whether they were saying them out of pity or something."

"It's fine, relax. Anyways I have some books I'd like to check out." I remind her.

"Oh I forgot about the books! I got caught up with the hair talk! I'm a horrible librarian!" Yuuko moans, frowning at her supposed ineptitude.

I resist the urge to facepalm. Any negative reaction to Yuuko's...outbursts could make her even sadder. And I'm not that much of an asshole. As Yuuko gets around to scanning the books, I can make out bits and pieces a one-person conversation that she's mumbling to herself.

"...ucky that Kinoshita-kun came by...third gender, couldn't find a bathroom..."

Third gender? Mentally recoiling, I pull my eavesdropping efforts away before I hear more things I don't want to hear.

"H-Here you are, Hisao. They're due in two weeks!" Yuuko informs me, pushing the books towards me. Thanking her, I put the books back in my bag and head out. Hmm, I wonder if I can find a spot to hide and read for a bit. I don't feel like going back to my dorm so soon. Oh, I should just go to the roof! Climbing the several flights of stairs, I emerge onto the rooftop. Luckily, there's no one here. I head over to one of the tables and sit down, taking out my phone to check if Yozora texted me back.

"Haha, very funny asshole. But seriously, are you free that day? I need to set an example for my club underlings here."

Seeing that I've been wanting to meet her club for a while, I see no reason to reject her.

"Yeah I'm free. What time should I meet up with you on Saturday?"

Pressing the button, I flip my phone back and start to put it on the table when it vibrates again. Huh, Yozora's pretty fast.

"Would the Starbucks at 12 suit you? I set up the club meeting to be at 1:30. Should be enough time to get there."

"That'd work. Do I need to bring anything with me?"

"Nothing really, just bring whatever you need to occupy yourself during the bus rides, and money. I have to run some errands now, so I'll ttyl!"

With that, Yozora abruptly ends our conversation. Well, not like there was much to talk about anyways. But at least I have something to look forward to this weekend. Putting away my phone, I crack out one of the books and start to read.

An undetermined amount of time later, I hear the rooftop door squeak open again. Looking up, it looks like the intruder is...Miki Miura, a girl who wouldn't be in Yamaku if it wasn't for the accident that took her left hand. With her tan skin and curvy body, she wouldn't look out of place in a fashion magazine. She looks around for a bit, before walking over to where I'm sitting.

"Hey Hisao," Miki greets. "What brings you here on a Sunday afternoon?"

"Ohh y'know, reading. Having no life as usual." I joke, waving my book. "What about you?"

"Dunno actually. Guess I went up here for some air and alone time. Although you're ruining the latter right now."

"Well, if I'm that much of a bother, I can leave." I offer.

"Naww, you can stay. I've actually been meaning to talk to you for a while." Miki smiles at me.

I wonder what we could possibly talk about? Outside of class, I never see Miki. At least until today that is.

"Ok then. What's this business you have with me then?" I inquire, putting the book back in my bag.

"Nothing really, just wanted to ask about the rumors flying around Yamaku." Miki says, looking deceptively innocent. She takes a seat on the table opposite me and rests her head on her right hand.

"Well you know Yamaku, rumor mill's as busy as ever. Not aware of any of them involving me though." I know this is a blatant lie, but it's easier to feign innocence for now. After walking while holding hands with Yozora along with her outburst to Misha and Shizune, the gossipers probably have a lot of material on their hands to twist into their evil lies.

"Oh really now? Miki raises an eyebrow. She's probably already seen through my lie. "You're not aware of the new gossip buzzing around?"

"Nope, not really. I don't care for that kind of thing." I say, giving her my best attempt at a poker face."

"Apparently, you've got a new girl to replace Hanako. Or something like that anyways."

"What? Is that what passes for gossip these days?" I reply in an astonished voice. "What do they mean by 'new girl' anyways?"

"You're awfully dense, aren't you." Miki eyes me suspiciously. "Misha and Shizune saw you walking out of campus with a girl from a different school. Those two may be a bit loud at times but I doubt they'd make up something like that."

"Ahh, alright, I'll admit that much. But she was just a friend! Nothing more."

No point in lying anymore, or it'll definitely look like I'm trying to hide something.

Miki's still giving me that suspicious glare though. What's she trying to find out?

"It's not my business to pry, Hisao, but if you really have a thing for Hanako, I'd suggest making it clear that your relationship with that girl is on a friends-only basis." Miki advises.

"And what makes you think Hanako and I like each other?" I ask, slightly tilting my head for effect.

"Umm, the date a couple of weeks back? Most of the school knows about that thanks to Emi's loud mouth. That, and I've noticed how she looks at you a lot during class. I think I can safely bet that she has some feelings for you at least."

I break my poker face, looking away from Miki out of guilt.

"Ok...you got me there. But things are never as simple like what you said. And anyways, nothing's official between me and Hanako." I clarify.

"But still, I'd say Hanako needs someone like you far more than whoever you were with. From what Misha said, she was drop-dead gorgeous, she could probably find another guy like that." Miki snaps her fingers.

Well, I can't deny the gorgeous bit, but if Misha had mentioned the hostile attitude...

Miki moves to get up from the table.

"Well I think I've interrupted you long enough, but seriously Hisao, you might want to stop trying to satisfy both parties, those kinds of harem endings only occur in eroge." With those parting words, Miki walks off towards the stairwell. I watch her leave, before slowly packing up my own things.

For a girl, she gives advice that's similar to what I'd expect a guy to give me. But I suppose that's a result of her hanging around mostly guys. But if the rumors are this widespread, I wonder how the other students think about this?

I spend the rest of the day quietly by myself. Seeing Miki basically confirmed what I already feared: In the end, one of the girls is going to get shafted. I just tried to deny it for a while, thinking that Yozora was just looking for a friend-zone friendship. But she also added something new that I never thought of; Yozora could easily find another guy like me, one without a debilitating heart condition. Sure, it'd be insanely hard to get past her shell, but you never know when another guy comes up and pierces it like it's nothing. Like me, for example.

On Monday morning, I find myself slumped over my desk. I may have had a solid nine hours of sleep last night, but I still feel exhausted for some reason. I suddenly feeling someone digging their finger into my back.

"H-Hisao?"

Oh, must be Hanako. I force myself up and look at Hanako.

"Hey Hanako. Need anything?"

"No, I was just checking to see if you were s-sleeping."

With those words, Hanako heads towards her desk. Hmm, I was expecting something more from that. Well there's plenty of time to figure it out. The morning period flashes by, and I quickly find myself sipping tea at the tea room with Hanako and Lilly. Strangely enough, Hanako's sitting next to Lilly instead of me today. Weird. I choose not to point it out though; I don't want to feel all nitpicky over something as minor as that.

When class ends, Hanako dashes out of the classroom first. I think about chasing her and asking her what's wrong, but I decide against it. Maybe she has an urgent appointment or something? Sure she's acting weird today, but everyone's entitled to one of those days every now and then.

This weird behavior lasts for the whole week, as if the events of last Saturday never happened. Hanako seems to be more distant than ever; when she was absent on Wednesday, I came up to her room to give her the handouts she missed, only to be given a curt thank you before slamming the door in my face. Maybe I should mention this to Yozora, she might be able to...nah what am I thinking, she barely knows how to interact with people as it is.

On Saturday morning, Hanako is again a no-show to class. I consider offering Mutou to take the sheets up to Hanako again, since it'd be a good excuse to go to her room and ask why she's acting strange, but then I recall that I have a date...wait no, not a date! I have to meet up with Yozora in the city again. Without me to act as courier, he hands it off to Misha, who laughs and declares that she won't fail Mutou in this important quest.

On the bus to the city, I start to wonder how this will work out? Am I going to be like a specimen to the Neighbor's Club? Someone who actually has friends in the midst of this group of social failures? Well it's not like I'm going to be an ass about it, maybe I can help them out, which would indirectly help Yozora out as well.

Making my way to the Starbucks where Yozora and I first met, I take a moment to preen myself in the reflection of the glass. I'm wearing an argyle sweater-vest with a white polo under it, as well as khakis. Always gotta look presentable, especially in front of girls. A gymsack similar to what Yozora brought with her sits on my back, with a sports drink, one of the books I borrowed from the library, and an extra shirt in case it gets too hot inside. I vainly attempt to flatten my hair, but of course it doesn't work. I'm too focused on swiping my hand over my hair that I don't notice someone sneak up on me and poke me on the back.

"Hey, you look stupid doing that." A voice that could only be Yozora's comments.

Turning around, I see Yozora, giving me a 'What are you doing?' face. Looks like she's wearing white denim jeans and a slightly low cut V-Neck which shows her bellybutton and her purple bra straps.

"Hey Yozora." I greet, instinctively grinning at the sight of her. My arms wrap around her and embrace her in a hug out of my own volition.

"W-what are you doing?" Yozora complains, sounding looking a bit shocked and starting to blush furiously.

"Well, I missed you. It's been nearly a week." I explain, looking down at her. She looks really cute when she's flustered.

"O-oh. Well there's no need for this public display of affection!" Yozora counters, pushing me away.

I'm kind of disappointed, but still, don't forget she's been an anti-socialite for years, so she's probably not used to that much physical contact. Can't jump to conclusions here.

Yozora looks guilty after pushing me away, so she slowly offers her hand to me.

"Ehh, sorry Hisao. It's just...never mind. Let's go, I'll lead you to the bus stop." Yozora says. She changes her mind about saying something, but I figure it's too early to press questions on her. Taking her hand, she leads me through the crowds and into the bus stop, where a bus is conveniently waiting for us. At t least she's still all about the hand-holding. We get on it, pay our fares, and take a couple of seats side by side in the back of the bus.

"So, what can I expect from this Neighbor's Club?" I ask once the bus sets off towards St. Chronicas.

"You should already know," Yozora says. "You've got Meat, the blonde walking porno with an obsession for eroge and galge, Rika the genius scientist girl with an extremely perverted mind, and Yukimara, the extremely effeminate guy."

"So...that's an odd bunch, to say the least. Do they know I'm coming?"

"Nope! It's going to be a surprise!" Yozora smiles at me.

"I see..."

Well this is going to be fun.

The bus ride passes by fairly quickly, with all the small talk Yozora and I have on a variety of topics, from Monster Hunter to the government. Yozora seems to be very critical of the government, while I'm apathetic to it, more or less. Can't expect the government to do everything perfectly. The bus rounds a turn to reveal a sprawling, modern looking campus with what appears to be a large church set just a bit to the side.

"Wow, this is St. Chronicas?" I marvel at the sight, it makes Yamaku look boring by comparison.

"Yepp. It's a missionary school, so that's why we have the chapel. But the fees are pretty small and it's close to my house, so it's not a bad place to go." Yozora responds, not looking the least bit excited. But then again, she does go here.

We disembark from the bus, only for Yozora to run ahead and beckon to me.

"Come on Hisao, we're burning daylight here!" Yozora yells.

Sighing, I start a light jog to keep up with her. She stops and waits for me to catch up, before proceeding side by side with me. We follow the path, which takes us around the side of the school and into an oddly placed tunnel. It's a short one, and we emerge into a beautifully landscaped garden, with a large statue of what's probably a religious figure standing sentinel off to the side. Yozora motions at the small spiraling staircase ahead of us.

"Just through here. Not getting tired, are ya?" Yozora teases.

"Yeah like this could tire me out so easily!" I shoot back. I've been power walking on the track this past week, and I'm planning to move on to jogging soon. I don't plan to be left in the dust any time soon.

I follow Yozora up the caged spiral staircase, and soon the sight of the church I saw from the bus greets me. It looks even more elaborate up close. I'm not much for religion, but I can appreciate well-designed buildings.

"I guess your meetings take place in the church?" I predict.

"Yep." Yozora takes a glance at her phone. "It's 1:20, looks like we're here on time."

Taking the lead, I follow Yozora to the church, taking in all the picturesque greenery. It even rivals Yamaku's park in terms of attractiveness. The inside of the church is just as majestic, with an insanely large hall with another large statue of a religious figure inside. This would be a perfect place to go to if I wanted silence with an elegant atmosphere. I follow Yozora through a couple more hallways before arriving at a closed door.

"This is it, Hisao. The official room of the Neighbor's Club. Are you ready?" Yozora asks.

"Ready as I'll ever be, I guess."

Yozora opens the door to reveal a tastefully furnished room; a large wooden table with four matching chairs pushed up against it, a comfortable looking medium-sized sofa sitting against the right wall, and a large TV pushed against a window with a BS3 connected to it. There are a couple of generic paintings of scenery hanging above the sofa, and a potted plant lying in the farthest corner. We must be in one of the wings of the church, as the windows offer us a view of the path leading up to the church. This observation of the room leads up to one important conclusion...

"There's no one here." I point out.

I hear Yozora step in after me, closing the door as she walks in.

"Huh, I did say 1:30...where are they?" A tinge of anger seeps into Yozora's voice. Oh boy.

I lay my gymsack next to the sofa before sitting down and leaning back a bit on it. Yozora moves to take a seat on the table when the door suddenly bursts open.

The sudden disturbance attracts my attention, looking up to see a blonde girl with a teal butterfly hairclip switching between Yozora and I in giving us the 'WTF' look.

"Ehhhh? Who's the new kid?" The girl asks, raising her eyebrow at the both of us.

"I'm-"

"Shut up, Meat."

I was going to introduce myself, but Yozora interrupts me with an insult. Ah, so this must be the famous Meat Yozora goes on about. Giving her the once-over, I can see how she got the insulting nickname; Her breasts are BIG! Not too big that they're unattractive, but just the right size at least for her. She's wearing the same school uniform Yozora wears, except with the topmost blouse button unbuttoned that shows off a bit of her ample cleavage.

"Fuck you Yozora! If he's a new club member..." Meat suddenly stops to stare at me with her blue eyes. I have a feeling I'm being examined, but since I just did the same to her, I have no right to say anything.

"You're not a student here." Meat deduces.

"Well I was going to say that if Yozora hadn't interrupted." I shoot Yozora a mock annoyed stare.. "I'm her friend. Hisao Nakai, at your service."

Yozora takes my gesture in stride, choosing not to react to it.

"Ehhhh? This dumb witch has a friend? Ahahahahaha!" Meat starts to laugh uncontrollably. "How much did she pay you to be her friend for a day?"

I can see from the way Yozora's face twisted in anger that Meat and Yozora aren't exactly on the best of terms. Well, I'd better clarify the situation than.

"Umm, no I'm actually her friend. Yozora took me here from Yamaku." I explain over her laughter. Meat suddenly stops laughing, giving me a slightly surprised look.

"Huh, looks like you're being serious. I don't see how a bitch like Yozora befriended you..."

Thwack! Yozora smacks Meat in the back of the head with a flyswatter that I have no idea where it came from.

"What was that for, idiot Yozora?" Meat complains, rubbing the back of her head.

"Stop being a slutty piece of meat for once and introduce yourself. It's only proper manners when you meet someone new, or did you not learn what manners are back in your mansion?" Yozora says. holding the flyswatter up threateningly.

"Alright alright, stop hitting me with that damn thing already though!" Meat turns her attention back to me. "I'm Sena Kashiwazaki, goddess of this school. As you can see..." Here Meat, now known as Sena, leans forward, giving me a dangerous view of her 'canyon'. "I'm perfect in every way possible!"

Well someone's a bit arrogant, although I have to admit body-wise, it's hard to refute such a claim. Thwack! Yozora hits Sena with the flyswatter again.

"Stop showing off your sagging flesh sacs, Meat. It's indecent, not that you would know the definition of the word to begin with."

"Pah, you're just jealous because your breasts are smaller than mine!" Sena counters, giving Yozora an angry look before taking one of the chairs from the table and placing it in front of the TV.

"Playing more eroge, Meat? Hisao, this is what Meat does on a daily basis in our club meeting: Play perverted eroge all day long."

"I don't just play eroge! And it's your fault for not coming up with more club activities, you lazy bitch!" Sena whines, turning on the BS3.

Yozora picks up one of the books lying on the table and sits down next to me. She's a bit closer than normal, but I don't mind. It's a small indicator of how close we've become, and I don't mean physically. Now if only I could get hints on whether she actually liked liked me.

"So I guess we're waiting on the rest of the club members?" I ask.

"Yeah, I told Rika to bring those virtual reality headsets again, we have another team-building activity today." Yozora responds.

"Ehh? Again? It's not going to be that shitty RPG thing again, right?" Sena says from over near the TV.

"Nope, it's something new." Yozora mysteriously replies, not giving any more clarification.

"By the way...Hisao," Sena takes a second to remember my name. "Which school do you go to? You're definitely not from this school."

I'm about to say something back when the door opens again.

"Sorry Rika's late. These boxes are pretty heavy." A female voice says from behind the stack of boxes she's carrying, hiding her face.

The newcomer places the boxes down near the door, having a surprised look on her face when she looks up and notices me and Yozora sitting next to each other.

"OHHH! A guy! And Yozora's sitting really close to him! Rika wonders if those two are fuck buddies!" The girl exclaims, cupping her hands over her face in excitement.

Even if she hadn't said her name in the third-person, I think it's pretty obvious that this girl is Rika, the uber-pervert.

She's wearing the St. Chronica's uniform, but she also has a lab coat thrown on top of it. On top of that, her slightly childish face, rounded rimmed glasses, and brown hair twisted into a ponytail, gives her the appearance of a scientist.

"And I'm guessing you're Rika, right?" I ask, looking for clarification that isn't really needed.

"Yep! Rika Shiguma, freshman at St. Chronicas! And you must be Yozora's boy toy! Which one gives it and which one receives it?"

Rika leans on the table and start panting, presumably at the thought of Yozora and I fucking.

"Hisao takes it." Yozora calmly replies. Wait what?

"What? I thought it worked the other way around?" I respond in disbelief.

"Ahhh, Rika can totally imagine Yozora with a strap-on, getting ready to penetrate...What's your name by the way?" Rika stops her perverted fantasies to ask me the mundane question.

"Hisao, Hisao Nakai. Nice to meet you too, I guess."

Rika goes back into horny mode immediately after I introduce myself.

"Hehe, the name's Hisao? Hisao's heart nervously pounds in anticipation, as Yozora... readies the mammoth strap-on... and aims it on his ass...EXCALIBUR!" Rika yells out that last word before collapsing on the floor in ecstasy.

I take the time while she's incapacitated to nudge Yozora.

"Hey, why'd you say I'm the uke* here?"

Yozora looks up from her book and gives me an evil smirk.

"Because if I wanted to be a couple with you, that's how it'd work." Yozora says.

I shift just a bit away from Yozora upon hearing that.

"Please tell me you're joking."

"Ok ok I am, or am I?" Yozora gives me a funny look." but I've learned to humor Rika sometimes. Or she'll go on forever. Hey Rika, you brought the game too, right?"

Rika, recovering from what I think is an orgasm, salutes Yozora.

"Yes, Rika bought the game too! Valve finally got around to localizing it into Japanese!"

"Alright, that's good. Where's Yukimara? He's really late today." Yozora asks.

"Actually, he texted Rika when I was getting the headsets. He has food poisoning from the restaurant he ate out with his family the day before. He told Rika to tell Yozora he couldn't make it today." Rika replies.

"Hmm, at least it's a valid excuse. Anyways..." Yozora puts down her book and walks over to Sena, yanking off the headphones she's been wearing while playing her eroge on the TV.

"What was that for?" Sena asks, rubbing her head.

"Neighbor's Club activities start now! Rika, set it up." Yozora orders.

Rika starts to unpack the boxes. Hmph, I was hoping to meet the full cast, but these three girls are eccentric enough as it is. This should be fun.


	12. Fun and Games

**Yep, another installment. Usually I'd post this after I get responses on the official KS Fanfic forums to finetune and tweak the chapter a bit when I publish it here, but eh seems like readers there just aren't into crossovers these days. So excuse me if it seems a bit...unrefined. This chapter and probably part of next chapter will be all Haganai, so yep.**

Rika places out a box with four large headsets connected to it.

"So what're we doing? Playing a game?" I ask, picking up one of the headsets and examining it. Looks like the headphones are integrated into the headset.

"Yeah! RIka brought Left 4 Dead 2, as per Yozora-senpai's request." Rika replies, pulling a small boxlet with the L4D2 box cover on it. I can see why she mentioned Valve now, since Left 4 Dead is one of their franchises.

"What's up with the headsets though? I'm guessing it's some type of prototype?"

"Rika developed this all by herself! It's way ahead of current gaming technology, but making this console alone cost me half my R&D budget. Rika upgraded it from the last time the Neighbor's Club played it, so now you can control everything with your mind."

"Wow, that's pretty impressive." I say, turning the headset around in my hands. Mutou would love to try out this experimental console. I have a feeling that he and Rika would get along very well.

Rika presses a button on the box the headsets are attached to. A CD drive emerges and Rika places the disc into it.

"OK guys, it's ready. Put on the headsets and I'll explain everything from there." Rika announces.

Yozora, Sena and I take one of the chairs in the table and each put on a headset. Right now, all I see is blackness.

"I'm activating the headsets now." Rika says.

I await something epic to happen, but all I notice is that the blackness got...less black. Then the image of a guy's head with a valve sticking out of it appears. Ah, must be Valve's intro. The same thing played back when I watched Left 4 the Half-Fortress. After that finishes, I suddenly find myself standing on what looks to be an entrance to an amusement park. But...there are zombies on the other side of the gates. I reflexively stumble backwards until i hit someone.

"Ow! Hisao, watch it!" Yozora says, pushing me away from her.

After righting myself, I turn to face her.

"Wow, it feels like i'm actually here." I think out loud, moving my limbs around and poking myself in the face.

"I know right, this feels incredibly realistic. I wonder if we'll feel the pain too." Yozora adds, bending down to feel the ground.

"Well of course it feels real, I designed it!" Rika brags, both her and Sena spawning out of nowhere.

"So where are we anyways?" I ask, looking over at where the zombies are wailing.

"Ah, we're at the menu area. Here, you can select what you want to play. Rika will handle that, so don't worry about it."

Rika conjures a floating menu out of nowhere, going through it with her hands. Naturally, the three of us huddle behind her shoulders so we can see what she's doing. Rika scrolls through the menu until she finds the option 'Campaign'. Poking it with her finger, the list expands to show more options like the list of actual missions and difficulty.

"What difficulty do you want to play on? Easy, Normal, Hard, or Expert?" Rika asks.

"Normal." I answer.

"Expert." Sena and Yozora say at the same time.

"Expert? Yozora, this is the first time I'm playing this game, why would you want to play at the hardest difficulty?" I ask exasperatedly.

"Because if we can't survive zombies in a game, what's the point of playing then? We get no training if we play with all these silly boosts like less damage and no friendly fire."

"Mmhmm, for once I agree with you." Sena adds, nodding her head.

The two girls look at each other, and in that moment I swear I could've see the enmity of both girls being directed at each other.

"Well we can't have the difficulty too high," Rika steps in. "So Rika will set it to normal."

Phew! At least someone's being considerate. If we did play Expert, I can already foresee all the friendly fire between Yozora and Sena. Rika drags down the difficulty menu and pokes the normal setting. Satisfied with the settings, she then presses the large PLAY button on the bottom of of the hovering menu.

As soon as she presses the button, the scenery immediately changes around us. In a sweeping wave of light, the carnival gate in front of us disappears, only to be replaced with apartment and business buildings. The immediate area around us changes into the roof of one of these buildings.

The other thing I notice after the wave of light is the HUD screen that somehow embedded itself into my eyeballs. I start to panic for a moment before remembering that I'm inside a video game. The new HUD that's now inside my eyes has the status of the other 3 members of our party, as well as an ammo/inventory indicator on the right side of my vision. Hmm, it says I have a pistol on me, but how do I get it out? I decide to check my pockets, and conveniently enough, a pistol somehow made its way into my right pocket. I pull it out and aim out at the building across the street. A crosshair suddenly appears in my sight, moving around as I aim the pistol. Damn, I'm even more impressed now. At least I know where I'll be aiming now. There's just one issue.

"How do we reload?" I ask.

"Empty your clip or just think reload. Your hands will automatically do it for you, and your ammo counter will update as well." Rika replies, walking over to the table full of guns and ammo.

Huh...I spray a few bullets at the building across us, noticing how the ammo indicator decreased with each shot. Following Rika's instructions, I think 'RELOADING', and my hands magically move on their own, producing a new clip out of nowhere and shoving it into the pistol. It's a bit odd, having your hands move without your consent, but I think I can get used to it.

"Oyy, Hisao you ready?" Yozora asks from next to a door presumably leading down to the building itself. She's wielding a pump-action shotgun, and she looks ready for action.

"Yeah, we already got our weapons and medkits, hurry up already!" Sena adds, waving at me with her SMG. Rika's standing there as well, holding an SMG as well. Since I doubt we don't need two people up front, I grab an SMG from the table and a red medkit, presumably for healing when we're injured.

"OK, let's get this show on the road!" Yozora kicks the door open, taking point as we follow her down the stairs.

At the bottom of the stairs, we encounter a few zombies stumbling around the narrow hallway. Yozora promptly shoots and kills them.

"Huh, this is easier than I thought. And there's no recoil, just spread." Yozora noted as she reloaded her gun. Should keep that in mind.

The four of us proceed through the disheveled building, meeting only scant resistance that Yozora took care of before the rest of us could get a shot in. Reaching the bottom floor, Rika directs the group through the back door, leading into a side alley. But as we exit the building, I heard sounds of gurgling emanating from further down the alley. The dim light from a lamp on the side of the wall could only tell me that this was one morbidly obese zombie. Since it's better to be safe than sorry, I aimed my gun at it, letting the crosshairs fall on its center of mass before letting loose a spray of bullets.

The thing immediately exploded, the top half completely blown apart, leaving only its stump of its legs behind.

"Good job, Hisao." Rika compliments. "That was a Boomer."

"A...Boomer?" I ask.

"Yep. There's special types of zombies besides the normal ones out there. But I'll let you three encounter them without prior knowledge." Rika gives off an evil glint as she declares this. Ugh, I have a bad feeling about this. But since we have no choice but to plow on, we go down the alley and round a corner, emerging onto a street of what looks to be downtown. But oddly enough, instead of the crowds of zombies blocking our path, it appears that the occasional abandoned car is our only obstacle.

"That's weird, Rika almost always encounters zombies at this part of the stage." Rika scratches her head.

"Yeah, I figured we'd have to blast our way through here. I was wondering why there wasn't any moaning when we arrived here." Sena adds in.

"Well, let's keep going then. At least we won't have to worry about dying."

We walk down the deserted street, constantly swiveling around in case we get ambushed. In one of my 180s, I notice a pistol lying on a nearby bench. Intrigued, I pick it up, but my hands switch from the SMG to the pistol I started with. Now I'm dual wielding pistols, which feels just as badass as it is in the movie theaters. Even the ammo display updates to show that I now have 30 bullets, 15 in each pistol, which means less time reloading (hopefully) and more time blasting away at zombies. Elated at this new feeling of badassery, I spray a couple of bullets into a car with a blinking light on it. Suddenly, the car alarm goes off.

"Why would you do that? Shooting those kind of cars triggers the horde!" Rika explains frantically, starting to sprint down the street.

""Hisao you idiot!"" The voices of both Sena and Yozora can be heard as they sprint after Rika as well, shooting into the waves of zombies appearing from the sides.

"Wait up!" I yell, switching back to the SMG and spraying its contents into the zombies. Even though this isn't real, I can't help but feel terrified as I try to keep up with the three girls. As I run, I unconsciously place my left hand over my heart to feel for any signs of danger, but I don't feel a heartbeat. Since I'm under duress from zombies, I'll just assume that my handicap doesn't follow me into this world and continue running.

"The safe house is down in the subway station! Follow Rika!"

We clamber down the stairs indicated by Rika, Yozora and I walking backwards to keep the horde of zombies at bay. Down at the stairs' landing, I turn around to see a red metal door that's ajar. I assume that's the safe house, but Rika isn't rushing inside it.

"Get back! There's something inside!" She warns us.

"Hah, what're you talking about? I've got a gun!" Sena pushes past Rika and moves to enter the room.

"Sena-senpai, no!" Rika rushes to Sena and tries to hold her back, but in that instant, a loud roar emanates from the room, and something pounces on Sena.

"Ahhh! Get it off me!" Sena yells. A zombie wearing a dark blue hoodie is...dry humping Sena? If I recall correctly, this zombie is a Hunter, but last time I checked, it dismembered its victims, not raped them...?

"Haha, that's a funny sight!" Yozora, who looks like she just finished up what's left of the wave, walks up towards Sena and examines the animation. "Huh, you did a decent job there, Rika."

"Yep, didn't take me that long to add the new animation when a Hunter's attacking Sena." Rika replies. Since there's no urgency now that we cleared the zombie wave, she joins Yozora in examining Sena and the Hunter.

"JUST HELP ME DAMMIT! MY HEALTH'S DROPPING AND THIS IS DEGRADING!" Sena roars.

The HP indicator on my HUD shows that Sena's health is about 40, and it's still dropping. Pulling my eyes away from the spectacle, I shoot the Hunter until it dies, the bullets pushing it away from Sena.

"WHY THE FUCK DID THAT THING TRY TO RAPE ME?" A furious Sena inquires to Rika.

"Yozora-senpai asked if Rika could change the Hunter's animation when he pounced on Sena-senpai from dismemberment to humping. Rika saw it as a challenge of my coding abilities since I had to make the animations and make it so they trigger when they attack you, so Rika did it. " Rika explains.

"YOZORA YOU BITCH! GO DIE!" Sena yells before suddenly disappearing. I guess she pulled out her headset and left.

"Awh, and I was having fun too." Yozora complains.

"Was that really necessary? Now we're short one person." I say. It's a pity, really. I was looking forward to clearing the rest of this level.

"Ehh, yeah I guess it was worth it actually. Not every day I can see Sena bent over and humped by a zombie. Too bad you killed it before I could do anything."

"Of course I killed it! It was hurting Sena! As in, you know, her HP was dropping." I retort.

"Yeah well, I wanted to get in a jab about how she used to step on so many guys, and now she's being stepped on, or something like that. Now I'm bored. Rika, turn this thing off." Yozora orders.

"Yes, Yozora-senpai."

Since this game ended prematurely, we pulled off our headsets. I blink my eyes to get used to the lack of HUD now that I'm back in reality. Even though it was just for a moment, having a HUD was extremely handy. If Yozora has access to cool gadgets like this on a daily basis, I should try to come here more often, if Yozora would let me anyways. Looking around, it looks like Sena ran away after her ragequit.

"That was fun. It's the first time Rika played Left 4 Dead with people." Rika says happily as we help her pack the equipment back into the box.

"Really? I always thought that kind of game was something you played with friends." I reply.

"But I have no friends, I'm a hikikomori. But when I saw The Neighbor's Club's poster, I immediately saw the hidden message, so I decided to join."

"Wait what? Hidden message?" I ask in a confused voice.

"Ah ah ah, I'll explain that later." Yozora suddenly joins in our conversation. Well, since she is the founder of this club, she probably does have an explanation for this poster Rika mentioned.

As we pack the rest of the things away, a glance at the wall-mounted clock informs me that it's about 3:20. Damn, didn't realize I spent nearly two hours here. I mean, all the events before Rika showed up felt like they happened within ten minutes. Huh, I did want to get to know Sena a bit more. Oh well.

After Rika puts the now packed box next to the door, the three of us file away to take a seat. I sit on the couch facing the table, while Yozora takes one of the chairs in the table, facing me. Oddly enough, Rika promptly takes a seat next to me, a bit closer than I'd like. I get the feeling I'm being examined by her.

"Umm, not to be rude, but can you give me a bit more space?" I ask Rika.

"Oh, sorry, but it's just that you're the first guy who partook in club activities. It's not often Rika gets to see males up close!" She replies, her stare looking down at my...crotch? I try to ignore her stare, inching away from her and plowing on with our conversation.

"What about that missing club member...Yukimara?"

"He's so androgynous, if you looked at him, you'd think he's a girl. You're actually a guy guy. If you're only friends with Yozora-senpai, do you want to do erotic things with me?" Rika says this shocking statement with a casual tone.

Rika takes me by surprise so much, I'm at a loss for words. I mean, if she wasn't a pervert, I definitely would consider doing such things to her. After all, she's pretty good looking while still maintaining the aura of 'approachable'. Yozora's definitely attractive, but if I was a random guy I would definitely feel intimidated trying to talk to her.

Yozora takes swift action. In an instant, she gets up and whacks Rika in the head with her flyswatter.

"Shut up, you goddamn pervert! Hisao is mine!" She yells.

Even up against the tremendous killing intent emanating from Yozora, Rika isn't fazed one bit. I have to admit, she's got guts.

"It seems Rika has stepped on another landmine. But Rika was under the assumption that you two were just friends without benefits."

On hearing Rika comment about the 'benefits' (or lack thereof), both Yozora and I blush (I can definitely feel myself heating up at least) and turn away...wait a minute, why did we both do that at the same time? Of course, this reaction doesn't go amiss by the pervert genius.

"Oh? Judging from your reactions, maybe Rika's initial conclusion about you two was right?" Rika says teasingly.

"I-it's none of your business, Rika!" Yozora stammers. "What Hisao and I do outside of the club isn't your business."

I nod, agreeing with Yozora on this one. I'd rather not let the events in my relationship...? No, friendship? Ah, I dunno, just whatever it is we have between the two of us right now be known to Rika. God only knows what she'd say if she knew Yozora kissed me, let alone what'd happen if she found out we...y'know, did the deed. Not that we did, of course.

"OK OK, Rika will drop this for now. The console needs to be returned back to my room anyways." Rika relents. Thank God. Picking up the box, she strolls out into the hallway, leaving Yozora and I alone. But as I'm about to strike up another conversation with Yozora, the door opens yet again, revealing Sena.

"Sena? I thought you left." I ask.

"I-I didn't! I just had to go to the bathroom, that's a-all." Sena stammers, clearly trying to act as if her blowup didn't happen.

"You're full of shit, Meat. Now that I think about it though, this is the first time you came back after you curse at me and leave." Yozora says in a scathing tone...a lot closer than I expected. In the few seconds I got distracted by Sena, Yozora managed to teleport to the seat next to me on the couch. Wow, I must've been really out of it if I didn't notice that.

"Well...I didn't want to leave when we have a guest here..." Sena mutters.

"Hmph, do what you want, Meat." Yozora says lazily, sprawling herself out on her half of the couch.

"I don't need your permission for anything, idiot Yozora." Sena snarls back, before going back to the chair near the TV and turning on the BS3. I presume she's going to play more eroge or galge. Although now that I think about it, I've heard a LOT about visual novels, but I've never tried one. Hmmm...Yozora will probably berate me for this, but oh well.

"Hey Sena, do you have any recommendations for a decent galge? I've heard a LOT about the genre, especially with the surge of bishoujo games out there, so I wanna see what's the big deal about it." I say.

Pushing aside Yozora's shocked expression, I swear Sena's eyes just lit up, literally.

"Haah, a newcomer to the genre, eh? W-well, lemme dig up something that should be good for a newcomer." Sena says at the speed of light before diving towards the pile of games stacked next to the BS3.

I get up and move a chair next to Sena's chair facing the TV, all while ignoring Yozora's hostile stare.

"Hisao...I swear if you become another Meat..."

"Jeez, what're you so worried about, I'm just checking it out." I respond sheepishly. Turning around, Sena's still digging through the pile of games, but I lower my voice into a conspiratorial whisper anyways. "If I really do become like Sena though, you have my permission to knock me out of it."

"Hehe, I look forward to it." Yozora smirks, raising her flyswatter threateningly.

"Ah, found it!" Sena declares. She puts a disc into the BS3 before tossing me the disc case.

"Kirameki...School Life 7..." I read out loud. Ah, this was one of the more acclaimed titles that I've heard about.

"Yep! This is the first one I've played! I think it's pretty good for someone like you. Hell, at least you're a guy." Sena says.

"And what do you mean by that?" I ask, raising my eyebrow.

"Eh, well the protagonist is a guy, like most galge are, so y'know...you could relate to his problems more and stuff." Sena replies.

For some reason, I'm a bit disappointed by this normal reply from Sena. Checking on Yozora, she took over my now vacant seat and is spread out on the couch, eyes closed. Probably taking a nap.

The TV starts to display the start screen for Kirameki School LIfe 7. Sena passes me one of the controllers. With slightly fumbling hands, I press the start button. And thus, my journey into the realm of galge began.

**Now begins another long hiatus! Gotta update my other fics, not that I'll dabble with this when I get tired of the others.**


	13. Surprises

** FYI: Try not to take too long a hiatus between chapters. I forgot what happened in the previous chapters, so I spent an entire day rereading my fic so I understood where I was. The series is starting to wind up! Woah! But before that, the Neighbor's Club arc comes to an end with this chapter! So to all you yobbos who don't like Hisao being dragged out of the KS universe, fret not as KS characters will be reappearing next chapter...when I get to it**

"Nice to meet you. I'm Fujibayashi Akari." A 2D image of a pink-haired girl in a school uniform introduces herself to the 2D version of me, Nakai Hisao. Sena and I had a bit of an argument over what name my character was going to be. Apparently, Yozora made Sena's character Semopomune in her first playthrough, so she wanted someone else to go through the embarrassment of having a stupidly nonsensical name. Luckily for me, I managed to input my name before she could wrest the controller away from me.

I'm now given three options to choose as my response to her:

1. Nice to meet _you_, Akari-chan!

2. Oh, it's nice to meet you Fujibayashi-san.

3. What a pushy broad! Get lost!

Hmm, decisions decisions. It may be Yozora's personality rubbing off on me, but I think 3 is the best choice. This Akari seems way too forward towards someone she just met. I select 3 and press the button.

"What a pushy broad! Get lost!" The 2D me says to Akari in an angry manner.

"S-sorry, Nakai-kun! As it is our first time meeting, I may have been too forward...I'll be more careful from now on, so I hope you're not mad at me." Akari hastily apologizes.

"Hmm, great minds think alike, it seems." Yozora comments from the sofa.

"I'm guessing you picked 3 too?" I ask.

"Yep. I played through it once with Sena. We both agreed on 3." Yozora replies.

"But that was before I found the kind of hardships Akari-chan went through!" Sena protests. Oh God, I remember that Yozora told me that Sena took her eroge a bit TOO seriously.

"Calm down, Sena. I'm the one playing here, right? So just let me do what I want to do."

"Fine..." Sena still looks a bit reluctant, but she lets me do as I wish.

Getting through the introductory scenes, I'm now faced with the 'stat-boosting' screen, as I like to call it. Basically Hisao (The 2D one) has free time during the day, and you can use it to boost stats like strength, intelligence, speed, etc. Somehow, the 2D me has pitifully low stats. It's a wonder he even made it to high school with an intelligence that low.

"So Hisao, what're you gonna do?" Sena inquires. Looks like she's gotten a bit impatient.

"Dunno. I guess I'll go with going to the weight room. Can't have 2D me running around being a weakling, can we?"

For some odd reason, the two girls watching me don't accept this reasoning, as they give me strange expressions.

"Your child's going to be dumb as hell when he grows up, isn't he?"

"Hisao, you know academics are the most important thing as a child, right?"

Sena and Yozora respond to me at the same time. I feel sorry for any kids those two will have.

Way to promote the stereotypical Asian parent. But for someone who's already physically weak, I'd rather others don't feel the way I feel right now, even if they are only imaginary.

Ignoring those two, I make my guy train his body for the whole day, using up all his energy. Unfortunately, with no energy, I have no opportunities to go to town and meet girls. But that's something that can wait until later on.

As I meet the rest of the girls, I start to get the appeal of why these kinds of games are popular. With all these improbable scenarios where the protagonist meets attractive girls from all kinds of stereotypical tropes (Like the nerd, jock, etc.), it's like the ultimate form of escapism. You can pretend to be someone who gets all the girls (If you can roll the harem ending, that is). Well, that explains all the otakus in the country, at least. I once thought of them as strange and having a negative effect on Japan's reputation culture wise. But now, I can sympathize with them...a little. I'm pretty sure I can get a real, 3D girl though.

Looking up at the clock, it says it's nearly 6 P.M...6 P.M.?

"Jeez, have we been playing this for that long?" I ask in wonder.

"Hmmhmm." Sena nods her head. "It's easy to lose track of time once you start playing. I once spent a whole night clearing a route and didn't notice it until my alarm clock went off."

"And that is why you need psychiatric help, Meat." Yozora interjects in her usual cutting manner. "It was interesting seeing Hisao play though, I think I understand him a bit better now."

Wait...don't tell me she actually inferred stuff through my gameplay? I hope she doesn't take seriously the fact that I went after the antisocial girl in the game, a tall dark-haired girl by the name Tohsaka Rin. But I can worry about that later.

"Anyways!...I got to head back to Yamaku soon. I have no desire to be moping around the city at dark." I explain, veering the conversation towards safer waters.

"Already? Oh, fine, it can't be helped since you have a curfew." Yozora concedes. "I'll guide you to the city, at least. What about you, Meat?"

"Well since you two are leaving, I might as well leave too. But I can get Stella to drive you both back home if you want." Meat...no Sena offers.

"Really? You'd do that for us?" I ask, astonished at the generous offer.

"Of course! I like you, Hisao. You're different from all the doormats here at school."

"You're actually going to take up Meat's offer?" Yozora doesn't seem pleased by this sudden change in events.

"Why not? It'll save me some money on bus fare and we'll get to spend a bit more time together." I reason out.

"But if you have any issues, Yozora, you can just go home by yourself. I can take Hisao back to Yamaku by myself." Sena taunts.

"Out of the question, Meat. I'm coming along, and you're dropping me off as well." Yozora puts her foot down, both literally and figuratively.

"Fine fine, let me just call Stella." Sena pulls out her phone and dials a number.

"Ah, Stella?...Yeah, I'm going to need a ride home...I have two friends who need a ride as well, is that OK?...It is? That's good...You already know where Yozora lives, but the second one dorms at Yamaku Academy..."

"Hey Yozora, who's Stella?" I ask Yozora while Sena's still talking.

"Her butler. Her dad is the head of the school's board. And yep, she's rich."

"Ohh, that makes sense than. I thought butlers were guys though, but whatever."

Huh...well it does tie in with the whole 'perfect' image Sena has going on, except for the eroge addiction and personality problems.

"Ah OK we'll meet at the front entrance...Thanks, Stella." Sena hangs up and directs her attention to us. "We're meeting her at the front gates in ten minutes."

I get my bag and sling it on my back while Yozora tidies up the room. After a couple of minutes, we depart. Weaving through the church hallways and through the scenic garden, I make a mental note to come back here again. Yozora's school certainly is picturesque. At the gates, a fancy black sedan is waiting for us, with an unfamiliar woman in butler's clothing who must be Stella standing next to it.

"Ah, Hello Sena-sama, Yozora-sama." Stella greets the two girls with a bow when we approach the car. Upon closer inspection, Stella is pretty attractive, with short blonde hair and brilliant blue eyes. If I didn't know any better, I definitely would've called Sena and Stella being related.

"Hey Stella. This is Nakai Hisao, he's a friend of ours from Yamaku." Sena introduces me.

"Hello. Sorry for troubling you about taking me back to Yamaku." I apologize to Stella in advance.

"There is no need to apologize, Hisao-sama. It is good to see Sena-sama and Yozora-sama branching out to boys outside of St. Chronicas."

Wow, Stella's statement could be misunderstood in so many ways. But I'd rather not point that out.

"Ah, well I'll be in your care than." I say.

The three of us clamber into the car, Sena taking shotgun while Yozora and I take the back seats. Stella gets into the car after us and drives off.

"So Sena-sama, if you do not mind me asking, how did you meet Hisao-sama?" Stella inquires after a couple of minutes of silence.

"Me? Oh, um, Yozora dragged him into our club meeting today. You'll probably be better off asking Yozora that." Sena passes the question along to Yozora.

"Now that I think of it, I never told you guys how I met him." Yozora realizes. "Well, it was one of those chance meetings you usually see in love comedies or something like that?"

"Really? I always thought those kinds of movies were completely unrealistic." Sena says.

"That's the point, Meat. Here I was, tucked away in a corner at the Starbucks, and this dolt walks up to me thinking I'm someone else." Yozora jabs her finger at me.

"Hey, I'm not a dolt. And that's because you looked like someone else I knew."

"I'm not sure how you confused Yozora for anyone else too, Hisao. After all, she's unsightly. I doubt anyone you know is as much of an eyesore as her."

"Fuck off, Meat." Yozora glares at Sena. If Stella had not been present, I'm sure Yozora would have hit her with the flyswatter. Although Sena's comment could be seen as coincidental when I take into account Hanako's scars. Not that I think Hanako is ugly, but to someone like Sena, Hanako could be seen as unsightly.

"And yes, you are a dolt Hisao. You were like all 'Hello Hanako' even though you didn't see my face." Yozora continues her rant.

"Who's this Hanako? By the looks of it, she must look similar to Yozora if you called her that without seeing her face." Sena asks. Blah, why is she perceptive at times like this? Can you not point out the obvious please?

"Wow, there's something that doesn't happen everyday: Meat thinking of something before I do. But seriously, Hisao, how similar did I look to this Hanako girl?"

"Umm...a lot. Right down to how you were facing the corner and hiding your face in a public place. You two even would look similar if I placed you two side by side." I answer honestly.

"Hmm...this could be troubling." Yozora looks out the window, looking very thoughtful.

"I am interested in meeting this Hanako. I think it is extremely rare for someone like Yozora-sama to exist, let alone two in the same area." Stella drops a bombshell out of nowhere.

I have to concede that last statement to her though. Yozora might be the only attractive anti-social girl in all of Japan...well if you can look past Hanako's scars, that'd make two. Hell, even Kenji grudgingly admitted (in secret, of course) that Hanako was cute even with scars. But seriously, Yozora is definitely unique.

"Oh, that's a good idea, Stella!" Sena adds.

"Wait wait wait, I just met you two today, and you already want to meet my friends? Isn't this a bit fast for our first meeting?" I counter.

"Well I want to meet her too." Yozora turns to me with a strange expression. "So I can...y'know, learn how you became friends with them. After all, as president of the Neighbor's club, I must gather intelligence on how people make friends from as many sources as possible."

For some reason, I think Yozora's reasoning is full of crap. But I'm too tired to start a verbal sparring match with her.

"And we've been friends for a decent amount of time too, Hisao. Unlike Meat over here. Also, it's only proper since she's the one you confused me for to begin with." She tries to reason out.

"Yeah but... she's a bit of an...introvert. Like you. Except replace the assholey attitude with...shyness I guess." I try to describe Hanako with as much accuracy as I can.

"Oh yeah, I forgot you went to Yamaku. What kind of disability does she have?" Sena asks.

"You really shouldn't be asking that kind of question so freely, Sena. It's not good to treat us as different just because we have physical disabilities. When the personal feels comfortable revealing their sickness, they'll tell you. Although in some cases, like Hanako's, it's a bit...obvious. So I'm not going to say." I shoot down Sena's question. Her asking that sort of question made me remember the ignorance normal people have of Yamaku and its students, something I was last aware of back at the school festival.

"Oh..." Sena awkwardly mutters.

"Anyways, even if I did want to introduce Yozora to her, I'd have to check with Hanako first. So you'll have to wait for a bit." I 'compromise'. Knowing Hanako, I doubt she'd be interested in meeting Yozora (And Sena if she comes along somehow). So it's a win-win situation for me since I can do what Yozora told me to do and have a legitimate excuse when Hanako says no.

"Alright..." Yozora looks at me hesitantly. "I really am interested in meeting this Hanako, so don't try anything funny."

"Yes yes, I won't do anything stupid." I promise. "Oh, but she'll probably bring Lilly with her too if it does happen. And if I recall correctly, you two didn't exactly get a good impression of each other back at the water park."

"What? You two went to the water park together?"

"Shut up Meat. That is none of your concern. But Hisao, I guess I can deal with her. Go ahead and try to set me up with Hanako."

"Jeez, now it sounds like I'm playing matchmaker." I complain.

"S-shut up Hisao! I don't roll that way! I just want to see what your other friends are like."

"That still sounds extremely nosy, but whatever. I probably would have dropped the idea of you two meeting eventually. I'll talk to her in homeroom when I get the chance. Like I said though, can't guarantee anything."

"Thanks, I guess...It's fine as long as you try."

"Hey, don't just make plans in front of me without including me in it!" Sena whines.

Before she can attempt to shoehorn her way in, Stella announces that we're at Yamaku. Looking outside the window, I can see the familiar front us.

"Your stop, Hisao-sama." Stella informs me.

"Ah, right. Thanks for the lift, Stella. And, umm, to you too Sena."

"No problem, Hisao. Make sure you visit the club again soon!" Sena replies.

"I'll drag you there by force if you don't want to!" Yozora threatens with a scary expression. But then she suddenly gives me a glowing smile. "But seriously, thanks for coming today. It was fun." She reaches out and takes me in her arms in a hug, or as much of a hug as you can get while sitting in the backseat of a car. I mirror her movements, and for a second, it was just the two of us leaning on each other. But as quickly as the moment happens, it ends, as she breaks away from me.

"Bye Hisao, message me later, K?" Yozora waves me off, blushing.. From the side of my vision, I think I saw Sena looking...jealous? I think...might've been my imagination though.

"If you have a moment, Hisao-sama, I'd like to talk to you in private before we leave." Stella says as I open the car door.

"Oh, umm OK then I guess." Confused, I get out of the car and stand on the curb. Stella joins me after leaving the car as well.

Once we're a fair distance away from the car, Stella suddenly grabs my hand and places something in it.

"A present for you, when you and Yozora reach that stage in your relationship." Stella says with a straight face. Looking down at the item, it's a small plastic pouch that contains...a condom?

"WHAT? WHY DID YOU GIVE THIS TO ME?" I shout in disbelief.

"Teen pregnancy rates are on the rise, and I must do my part to counter that. Also, I can sense you are a good person. Try your best to keep Yozora-sama happy. If you know what I mean." Stella continues in that same straight face. I have to give her props for not showing any kind of emotion though. If I was her I'd be cracking up right now.

"That still doesn't explain why you have condoms on you to begin with! And it's not THAT kind of relationship!" I sigh. If Stella's brazen enough to hand me condoms, I doubt an explanation will get through to her. "But anyways, thanks again for the ride back. I'll see you later, Stella."

"Indeed, take care Hisao-sama." Stella sees me off with a bow, which is quite fitting given her butler's uniform. I watch her get back in the car and drive off into the distance. Well this was definitely a bizarre day.

While I walk through the park, I start to wonder what would happen when Yozora and Hanako meet. In a sense, it'd be like two universes colliding. They're both similar, yet so different. Looking past the predictable hostile reaction from Yozora, it'd be nice if the two could get along. Then I wouldn't be forced to split my time between the two and leave one on the sidelines all the time like I just did with Hanako. But then that leaves the question of how to integrate Lilly and Sena into the group...bleh, this is a lot more complicated than I thought. And now it looks like I'm trying to create a harem!

But still...I'm aware that Hanako likes me. And I like her too. Than I have the outsider Yozora who appears out of nowhere and throws things into chaos, and the worst thing is that I brought it upon myself when I first confused her for Hanako back at that Starbucks. Now they both like me...well I know Hanako does, but it's still a bit tentative on Yozora's side. Maybe she's just exuberant that she has a guy friend for once and that I've been relegated to the friend zone?

Damn, I'm still undecided about the whole thing. Can't get my thoughts straight at all. I mean come on, no girl would just kiss a guy than friend zone them! Maybe? I'm not a girl, so it's not like I can exactly predict their thought patterns. Ahhh now I'm confusing myself even more!

I scratch my head in confusion over what I just thought. I think some sleep will do me some good. I'll need a clear mind when I talk to Hanako on Monday.

**Yay, now you get to wait for me to update again! Good thing is, the series is winding up to its conclusion, so you'll only have to wait at least twice or at most four times before you don't have to wait in anticipation for the next chapter! Because it will be done! WOAH! **

**But no seriously, this is probably going to be my first fanfic with a definite conclusion. I suck with conclusions in any written form. So sorry in advance.  
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